[righteous]

This is an economic problem not a technical one. We simply need to make it unprofitable to wholesale spam call citizens of the wealthy first-world.

Every outbound call should cost $1 to the terminating carrier. ATT, Centurylink, Etc. Recipients can mark spam calls (*69, an app, whatever) and the dollar is split between the carrier and consumer. After 60 days the money is returned for calls not marked as spam.

No calls are connected that don't include this advance this money.

Now, the assholes who dial 2,000 people a minute will need to afford $2,000 a minute of credit to run their operations.

Carveouts or credits can be extended to bona fide groups such as political parties, 503c, etc.

Over time, trustworthy callers will have a revolving account or insurance to cover the costs. Untrusted caller no longer can afford to make calls.

[lilyball]

You’re now incentivizing the carrier to deliver spam calls, and the customer to report as spam every call they receive from a party they have no expectation of talking to again regardless of whether it’s spam.

[timbit42]

That's fine as long as the spammers are disincentivised enough.

[tehjoker]

Why not provide a way to report spam calls and then heavily fine, dissolve, or jail the executives of companies that engage in the practice?

As this forum attests, this commercial activity is destroying the worldwide utility of a vital communications channel for everyone.