Anatel takes stock and adopts new transparency measures to combat abusive calls

The National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) has officially launched the internet portal www.QualEmpresaMeLigou.com.br, which allows the user to consult, via the origin number of the incoming call, which company is calling his landline or mobile. With this initiative, the agency hopes to enable users to combat abusive telemarketing, telecharger and similar calls.

This initiative was determined by art. 6 of the Decisive Dispatch n. 250/2022/COGE/SCO, of 19 October 2022, which in its caput established “To determine that telecommunications service providers jointly make available on the Internet a tool through which it is possible for the citizen concerned to query the identification of the owner of some STFC and SMP access codes, when the latter is a legal entity.

As regards the participating providers, it should be noted that, in this first phase, information is made available on the following telecommunications service providers: Algar, Claro, Oi, Sercomtel, Tim and Vivo. Information from other providers will be added in the coming months.

Equilibrium

Anatel saw a significant reduction in the number of short calls, those lasting less than three seconds, between June 2022 and January 2023.

The weekly data indicate a substantial and constant decrease in the volume of short calls generated on the networks, in response to the initiatives adopted by the Agency to combat abusive telemarketing, such as the issuing of a precautionary measure, the blocking of users and the authorization operators to charge calls for up to 3 seconds, which was not allowed.

In the week in which the first injunction promoted by the Agency was issued (from 5 to 11 June 2022), around 4 billion short calls were made per week. In the week of January 15-21, 2023, that number was 2.47 billion calls, a drop of about 40%. The average weekly call volume since the beginning of November 2022 is 2.36 billion.

To resize these numbers, using the average of short calls made in the 30 days preceding the first precautionary measure as a basis for comparison, it is as if 41.3 billion short calls had not been made between 12 June 2022 and 21 June. January 2023.

In the period there are almost 200 fewer calls for every Brazilian citizen.

The higher the percentage of short calls, the more evidence there is for high call waste due to robocalls.

The biggest offenders 

From the reports provided for by art. 5, III, of resolution no. 250/2022/COGE/SCO, Anatel consolidated a list of the 410 users who made the most short calls in the period from October 30 to December 24, 2022. These users made 9.7 billion calls in those two months, of which 5, 8 billion short call.

Companies were ranked by the number of short calls. The Biggest Offenders List publishes only the top 20 companies that meet one of the following criteria:

1. those who had a ratio of total short calls to total number of calls equal to or greater than 85%; And
2. those that have exceeded the connection limits established in the precautionary measure.

The list is as follows:

Importantly, this list is a snapshot of a specific period and has been prepared based on objective criteria. Several companies have adapted their behavior, never exceeding the limits established by the injunction.

Progress of the dialogue 

Anatel, during the precautionary period, dialogued with various entities to improve the measures adopted with the aim of protecting the company from abusive calls.

Following this concern for dialogue, in December 2022, Anatel opened the recordings for dialogues on abusive calls.

In January of this year several meetings were held with stakeholders.

It should be noted that in these meetings and their follow-up, the Agency has noted several companies that have adopted good practices, implementing real cultural changes and adapting their procedures for the benefit of consumers.

The Agency also discussed with the associations of telemarketing and collecting companies ways to seek a balance between the legal activity they carry out and the rational use of telecommunications services. The common goal is to protect consumers from irregular market practices.

One of the points discussed is the adoption of call identification and authentication measures that allow the consumer to identify, upon receiving the call, the company that originated the call.

A cycle of debates will be held in February with almost 50 subjects to collect suggestions and criticisms on the topic.

The intent is to produce a report that summarizes the company’s impressions on the subject of abusive phone calls and effectively map the positive effects and the problems encountered.