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Recently, the twelve largest telecom providers and the attorneys general of all fifty states and Washington, D.C., entered into an agreement aimed at identifying and deterring robocalls. Although this agreement is intended primarily to help combat the use of robocalls, to make spam calls illegal and to protect consumers, the agreement’s emphasis on broader access to call-blocking functionality will likely pose challenges for a wide range of legitimate callers, including creditors and debt collection agencies.… Continue Reading

The FCC announced that it has approved the declaratory ruling previously circulated by Chairman Pai that would allow voice service providers to start offering default call-blocking programs that are based on reasonable analytics.

The FCC also voted to adopt a notice of proposed rulemaking that, as described in the FCC’s press release, would “require service providers to implement the SHAKEN/STIR caller ID authentication framework, if major voice service providers fail to do so by the end of this year.” … Continue Reading

Plans announced on May 15 by the FCC to empower voice service providers to offer more aggressive call-blocking programs could create significant problems for creditors and debt collectors.  In addition to allowing providers to block unwanted calls by default, the FCC plans to allow providers to offer opt-in blocking in which a consumer can elect to block calls from any numbers that are not on the consumer’s own contact list. … Continue Reading

In September 2018, in Marks v. San Diego Crunch, a unanimous Ninth Circuit three-judge panel held that the TCPA’s definition of an automatic dialing system (ATDS) includes telephone equipment that can automatically dial phone numbers stored in a list, rather than just phone numbers that the equipment randomly or sequentially generates. … Continue Reading

The FCC’s creation of a database of disconnected phone numbers is expected to significantly reduce the potential TCPA exposure companies face for unknowingly calling a customer at a reassigned phone number.  In this week’s podcast, we review the relevant TCPA legal background, explain how the database will operate and the requirements for obtaining a safe harbor from TCPA liability, and discuss proactive steps companies can take in advance of the database launch.… Continue Reading

The defendant in Marks v. Crunch San Diego has filed a petition for certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking review of the Ninth Circuit’s September 2018 decision interpreting the TCPA’s automatic telephone dialing system (ATDS) definition.

In Marks, a unanimous Ninth Circuit three-judge panel held that the TCPA’s definition of an ATDS includes telephone equipment that can automatically dial phone numbers stored in a list, rather than just phone numbers that the equipment randomly or sequentially generates. … Continue Reading

The FCC has taken a step toward getting control over the potential TCPA exposure a business faces when it calls one of its customers at a phone number that, unbeknownst to the business, has been reassigned from the customer to someone else.

On December 13, 2018, the FCC released an order directing the creation of a single comprehensive database of disconnected numbers. … Continue Reading

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai proposed the creation of a comprehensive reassigned numbers database, addressing a significant compliance challenge under the TCPA. The TCPA’s prohibitions on the use of automatic telephone dialing systems (ATDS) allows calls to be made with the express consent of the recipient. However, as the Chairman noted in the press release announcing this proposal, millions of phone numbers are reassigned each year.… Continue Reading

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued a notice asking for comment on what constitutes an automatic telephone dialing system (ATDS) under the TCPA following the Ninth Circuit’s September 20, 2018 decision in Marks v. Crunch San Diego.  In May 2018, the FCC issued a notice announcing that it was seeking comments on several TCPA issues following the D.C.… Continue Reading

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation has scheduled a hearing for tomorrow, August 16, titled “Oversight of the Federal Communications Commission.”  The Committee’s website indicates that the hearing will examine policy issues before the FCC and review the FCC’s ongoing duties and activities.

The witnesses scheduled to appear are the four sitting FCC Commissioners (Chairman Pai and Commissioners O’Reilly, Carr, and Rosenworcel). … Continue Reading