At its February 19, 2024 Open Meeting, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) adopted an array of changes and codifications to its Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”) rules to “strengthen consumers’ ability to revoke consent” to receive robocalls and texts after deciding that they no longer want them. The agency’s Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (Order) is designed to make consent revocation “simple and easy” and adopts requirements “for callers and texters to implement revocation requests in a timely manner.”Continue Reading FCC Clarifies and Codifies TCPA Consent Revocation Rules
Robotext
FCC Restricts Lead Gen and Makes Other Telemarketing Reforms
The Federal Communications Commission (“FCC” or “Commission”), at its Open Meeting on December 13, 2023, approved new rules under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”) regarding texting that will impact many marketers. The rule changes adopted in the Second Report and Order (“Order”) are part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to combat “unwanted and illegal calls,” announcing a “comparatively new focus of combatting unwanted and illegal text messages.” The FCC finds that the “increase of unwanted and illegal texts … frustrate consumers, and scam texts can cause serious harm.”Continue Reading FCC Restricts Lead Gen and Makes Other Telemarketing Reforms
FCC Acts to Protect Consumer Privacy from Unwanted Ringless Voicemails
In February of this year, Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced that she had submitted a proposal to her colleague Commissioners to regulate “ringless voicemails” to wireless phones under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”). She noted that “‘[r]ingless voicemail can be annoying, invasive, and can lead to fraud like other robocalls—so it …
FCC Adopts Rulemaking Proposal to Protect Consumer Privacy From Invasion by Unwanted Text Messages
In October of 2021, then Acting Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel circulated a proposal among her Commissioner colleagues to address the problem of illegal robotexts invading consumer privacy. At the time, she noted that the FCC has seen “a rise in scammers trying to take advantage of our trust of text messages by sending bogus robotexts that try to trick consumers to share sensitive information or click on malicious links. It’s time we take steps to confront this latest wave of fraud and identify how mobile carriers can block these automated messages before they have the opportunity to cause any harm.”
Continue Reading FCC Adopts Rulemaking Proposal to Protect Consumer Privacy From Invasion by Unwanted Text Messages