Coalition of industry organizations asks for expeditious action on clarifying ATDS definition in the law.
2/7/2020 11:00
As federal courts continue to issue a patchwork of rulings to interpret the definition of an automatic telephone dialing system (ATDS), the accounts receivable management industry and consumers need clarity on the Telephone Consumer Protection Act through the Federal Communications Commission.
ACA International, with a host of industry organizations including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, American Association of Healthcare Administrative Management, American Bankers Association, American Financial Services Association, Consumer Bankers Association, Credit Union National Association, Edison Electric Institute, Electronic Transactions Association, Home Furnishings Association, Insights Association, Mortgage Bankers Association, National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions, National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, National Retail Federation, Restaurant Law Center, and Student Loan Servicing Alliance, are asking for that clarity through a decision by the FCC on the Petition for Declaratory Ruling on an ATDS filed nearly two years ago.
“Doing so would bring much-needed clarity to the definition of ATDS and stop the spread of differing court interpretations that have followed in the wake of the D.C. Circuit’s decision in ACA International v. FCC, which was pending before the court for over two years after the Commission issued its 2015 Declaratory Ruling and Order,” a letter from the organizations’ leaders, including ACA’s Vice President and Senior Counsel of Federal Advocacy Leah Dempsey, states.
“With substantial progress made to combat illegal calls, the Commission should take action to ensure that consumers receive the important, and often time-sensitive, informational calls that legitimate businesses place by reforming the Commission’s TCPA interpretations. Addressing unresolved TCPA issues should be one of the Commission’s very top priorities in 2020.”