FCC Cracks Down on Robocalls
Soon, we won’t have to avoid calls from weird area codes. The Federal Communications Commission is finally cracking down on annoying telemarketing practices like robocalls.
After receiving thousands of complaints, the FCC has voted unanimously to adopt tougher rules against unwanted autodialed or prerecorded calls to home phone lines.
Telemarketers use automatic dialing, also known as robocalls, to simultaneously connect thousands of callers to marketing representatives. Numerous callers are receiving interruptive calls that they don’t want. Others answer the phone, only to hear nothing on the other end.
Although Congress passed legislation making Do Not Call legislation permanent, telemarketers were able to continue annoying practices due to loopholes in the law.
The new rules close loopholes by requiring telemarketers to get written (or electronic) consent from consumers before they can call or send text messages. These rules apply even if callers are not on the Do Not Call registry. Each call must also offer an easy, interactive opt-in feature.
Schools, nonprofits and political groups are excluded from these rules; although, they must still have written consent before calling wireless phones.
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