A proposed federal rule about a way to block robocalls threatens to upend how pollsters conduct public opinion surveys, jeopardizing access to information about Americans’ lives and opinions that shapes policy.
The proposal, set to be voted on Thursday, would give telephone companies the go-ahead to offer to consumers technologies that are designed to block robocalls. Intended to address complaints about unwanted calls, the technology could force survey makers to adopt new, more expensive ways of conducting polls.
“It’s really going to be a horrible thing potentially for the research profession and potentially for society,” said Howard Fienberg, director of government affairs for Marketing Research Association, responding to the potential rise of the technology.