Catch up on the FCC’s recent actions related to the ARM industry.
05/23/2023 11:25 A.M.
2.5 minute read
The Federal Communications Commission has been busy with its call and text regulations.
Here are a few of the commission’s updates you should know about this week.
FCC Asks Congress for Additional Authority on Call and Text Regulations
Federal Communications Commission Chair Jessica Rosenworcel is asking for more tools for the commission to restrict illegal robocalls and robotexts.
In a letter to U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, Rosenworcel responded to the senator’s request for additional FCC work to stop those illegal communications, according to an article in The National Law Review.
Specifically, Rosenworcel said the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Facebook v. Duguid, which narrowed the definition of an autodialer under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, “makes it more difficult to use the tools we have as it reduces the range of technology that is covered by the law, and this in turn may lead to less consumer protection from unwanted robocalls and robotexts.”
Her request for more authority also included collecting fines the FCC imposes “against the bad actors responsible for illegal robocalls and robotexts.”
The FCC recently adopted rules on text message blocking as well as expanded call blocking requirements.
Read Rosenworcel’s letter (PDF) here.
Comments Are In on FCC’s Proposed Robotext Regulations
Stakeholder comments on the FCC’s robotext mitigation regulations are coming in full force this month, with over 100,000 submissions. According to a report from TransNexus, commenters ranged from consumer advocates to associations advocating for businesses that use text messaging. ACA International is working with its coalition partners on reply comments.
Comment topics include placing some restrictions on text messaging to prevent abuses by bad actors that would still allow lead generators following the rules to operate as well as strict rules to limit text messages.
ACA and its coalition partners have appreciated the FCC’s quick actions to help curb illegal robotexts and “support regulation of texts sent from invalid, unallocated or unused numbers and those on Do Not Originate lists and are pleased to see the Commission take action to block such texts,” ACA previously reported. However, there is more work to be done on the rule.
Read more on the comments filed here.
Biden Administration Issues Nominations for FCC
Telecommunications attorney Anna Gomez was nominated to fill a vacant spot on the FCC, according to The Hill.
Commissioners Brendan Carr and Geoffrey Starks were also nominated to serve another term.
The nomination for Gomez comes after Gigi Sohn withdrew from the process due to ongoing partisan gridlock in the Senate, according to The Hill report.
Gomez has served in various positions at the FCC.
Read FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel’s statement (PDF) on the nominations here.
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