Originally it wasn't a thing to be able to transfer phone numbers between companies if you wanted to switch providers. The industry pushed back hard saying it

Originally it wasn't a thing to be able to transfer phone numbers between companies if you wanted to switch providers. The industry pushed back hard saying it was too complicated, would cost them too much in development time, etc. Govt. still pushed and got it through, and now we have more control over our numbers. If they're fined significantly for forwarding spam, then you bet they'll try to find a way to stop it.