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For Telecom Marketers: FCC Readies Blocking-Technology Workshop

TMCnews Featured Article


August 31, 2015

For Telecom Marketers: FCC Readies Blocking-Technology Workshop

By Tracey E. Schelmetic, TMCnet Contributor


While the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC (News - Alert)) most recent declaratory ruling clarifying points in the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) may seem largely a matter of technology definitions and hair-splitting – it was prompted by requests by businesses to define existing “gray areas” in the law -- it contains an ominous message for outbound telemarketers as well as telecommunications carriers. The message is, “Illegal robocalling is getting out of hand, and it’s time to do something about it.”


To help companies “do something about it,” the agency announced that it will be sponsoring a workshop on robocalling and caller ID spoofing on Wednesday, September 16, 2015, at its Washington headquarters. While the specifics of the workshop activities are not available yet, the agency’s overall goal is to help examine present robocall-blocking methods, industry efforts to block unwanted robocalls, and potential ways to prevent caller ID spoofing, with panelists representing a wide array of stakeholders, according to a recent blog post by attorneys Ronald G. London and Bryan Thompson of Davis Wright Tremaine LLP.

Businesses have an interest in adopting the latest compliance technologies when it comes to outbound calling and text messages: punitive fines, though rarely levied by the FCC, can be crippling when they are handed out. It’s simply in companies’ best interest to ensure they are compliant with all aspects of the TCPA, particularly those newer rules set down by the declaratory statement. In the future, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler (News - Alert) has promised the agency would be “cracking down” on violators, and that’s enough to spur companies that were content to slide through the gray areas to get serious about compliance. Telecommunications carriers will also be expected to step up and provide consumers with relief against unwanted and illegal calls in the form of blocking technologies, something they have been hesitant to endorse for fear of upsetting large business interests.

“In its TCPA Order, the FCC clarified that nothing in the Communications Act or FCC rules/orders prohibits carriers from deploying such [blocking] technology,” wrote London and Thompson. “Obviously, caller ID spoofing, which is restricted by other statutes and rules, would be one strategy to avoid such blocking by consumers, though one fraught with potential pitfalls.  Exploring how modern autodialing technology works, and how it might be combated with consumer-selected call-blocking options, while also avoiding the blocking of wanted calls, is key if such carrier-side options are to be offered.  It will be interesting to see how the FCC builds its agenda for the Workshop with these concepts in mind,” they wrote.

For more information about the upcoming FCC workshop, visit the FCC’s website. 










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