The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced a proposed declaratory ruling to be voted on at their June 6 meeting that would give telephone carriers the ability to block unwanted robocalls.

This regulatory change would allow telephone carriers to automatically block any calls not in a member’s contact list unless the member actively notifies their carrier that they would like to receive these calls. While members could opt-out of this program, many will be unaware that they can do so, or even unaware that their phone carrier is making the decision of which calls they receive.

This change would become effective three weeks after being voted upon, leaving very little time for credit unions to ensure that their members are able to receive important and time-sensitive communications by phone.

“This action from is concerning on a number of levels, most of all because it could lead to credit unions being unable to contact members with critical information. It could even lead to member service issues if the member is doing business with a credit union, but the credit union is unable to contact them,” said CUNA Chief Advocacy Officer Ryan Donovan. “CUNA supports efforts to combat illegal robocalls, this action seems to be overly broad and in conflict with guidance from financial regulators, who have called on institutions to use modern means of communication to ensure consumers are up-to-date with important financial information.”

The news release and a fact sheet are available on the FCC website.