Trump signs law to reduce robocalls, though they won't end

A man talking on the phone at a hotel near the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles. A new anti-robocalls law gives authorities more enforcement powers and could speed up measures the industry is already taking to identify robocalls. — AP

NEW YORK: An anti-robocalls measure signed into law on Dec 30 by President Donald Trump should help reduce the torrent of unwanted calls promising lower interest rates or pretending to be the IRS, though it won't make all such calls disappear.

The new law gives authorities more enforcement powers and could speed up measures the industry is already taking to identify robocalls. And when phone companies block robocalls, they must do so without charging consumers. This should help Americans dodge many of these annoying calls.