ACA International leaders meet with staff from the Federal Communications Commission and participate in two panel discussions focused on the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.
11/15/2018 14:30
Advocacy on behalf of members and the accounts receivable management industry continued this week as representatives of ACA International met with staff leaders from Commissioner Michael O’Rielly’s office at the Federal Communications Commission and shared their expertise on regulatory matters connected to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.
Leah Dempsey, senior counsel and vice president, federal affairs; Joann Needleman, leader, Clark Hill PLLC Consumer Financial Services Regulatory and Compliance Group; Mark Neeb, CEO of ACA International; and Jay Gonsalves, IFCCE, MCE, president at Action Collection Agencies Inc., met with staff from O’Rielly’s office Nov. 13.
The group discussed the ongoing issues and impacts of call blocking and labeling on the accounts receivable management industry as the FCC continues to work on its interpretation of the TCPA.
For example, call blocking and labeling initiatives continue to harm legitimate businesses while doing little to decrease the amount of unlawful calls, ACA International said in its Oct. 8 comments submitted to the FCC’s Consumer and Government Affairs Bureau, ACA previously reported.
Dempsey also participated in two industry meetings this week, first joining a video conference as part of a GSMA TCPA Summit focused on speaking about the impact of TCPA on ACA members and the association’s advocacy efforts to ensure regulators understand the impact when developing rules. GSMA represents interests of mobile operators worldwide.
On Nov. 14, Dempsey shared her expertise on the TCPA and its impact on the accounts receivable management industry during a half-day event hosted by the Drinker Biddle Law Firm in Washington, D.C.
Dempsey was part of a panel discussion on “Where Do We Go From Here: The Evolving Regulatory Landscape,” focused on the future of the TCPA and where legislators and regulators may turn. Panelists also included Joseph Wender from the office of U.S. Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass; Mary Ellen Kleiman, National Association of Chain Drug Stores; and Jonathan Thessin, American Bankers Association.
“We appreciated the opportunity to discuss industry concerns about frivolous litigation and compliance challenges stemming from the TCPA with Senator Markey’s staff, since he authored the statute, and with other industries impacted such as the bankers,” Dempsey said. “It is essential that we continue to participate in the robust debate in Washington about striking the balance between protecting consumers but not imposing unnecessary and overly burdensome rules on legal businesses that need to be in contact with consumers about information essential to their financial health and other critical matters.”
Related Content from ACA International:
FCC Needs to Implement Comprehensive Rules Before Call Blocking and Labeling Continues