Lapse in funding at the FCC and FTC disrupts consumer complaint sites, the National Do Not Call Registry and others.
1/16/2019 11:00
Several online services operated by the Federal Trade Commission and Federal Communications Commission remain unavailable due to the lapse in funding resulting from the partial government shutdown.
Among the closed sites operated by the FTC is the Complaint Assistant for filing consumer complaints as well as the National Do Not Call Registry for consumers and telemarketers.
Identitytheft.gov, available for consumers reporting identity theft, is also unavailable.
“While government website security is hardly a problem that can be wholly attributed to the government shutdown, some have also pointed out that, as web security certificates expire, officials may be unable to fix the problem while the shutdown continues,” The Verge reports. “The issue could make website visitors more vulnerable to a malicious attack.”
The FCC also closed its page for consumer complaints due to the government shutdown and released details about all the impacted services here.
The FTC has postponed all events until further notice. The FCC has released a tentative agenda for its Jan. 30 opening meeting. If the government was open again before Jan. 9, restoring funding to the FCC, additional items were to be added to the agenda, it reports.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioners Michael O’Rielly, Brendan Carr and Jessica Rosenworcel will work through the shutdown, in addition to some employees designated to “protect life and property” and assist with disaster operations. In addition, the Office of the Inspector General will continue operations until further notice. The FCC will provide an update on its website when all operations are restored.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau remains in operation due to its funding appropriations through the Federal Reserve and the consumer complaint database is also not impacted by the partial government shutdown.
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