The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced on Dec. 9 that emailed faxes aren't illegal under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). A spokesperson for the federal agency gave the FCC's reasoning for reaching such a conclusion when announcing their ruling that day.
3 recent rules for robocalls
Robocalls are automated marketing telephone calls. They can be very intrusive to consumers. While they are not illegal in their own right, they do have to follow special rules.
Feds: The Telephone Consumer Protection Act wasn't violated
Plaintiffs in Illinois, who'd previously filed suit in U.S. district court accusing the owners of a medical marketing company of violating their rights by sending them text messages lost their Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) case last week. A judge ruled that the defendants didn't violate any laws in sending medical marketing texts as they didn't utilize an automatic telephone dialing system (ATDS) to source the numbers that the messages were sent to.
Sneaky ways telemarketers get your phone number
Does it feel like an invasion of your privacy when telemarketers interrupt your work, your dinner or your leisure time? Well, it is! And you have every right to be frustrated. Most of the time, you don't even know how they got your number -- particularly to your cellphone.
How to protect your parents from a phone scam
Phone scammers are notorious for targeting senior citizens, as they find that they're more likely to go along with what they're asking.
What is the National Do Not Call Registry?
There is nothing more frustrating than receiving one telemarketing phone call after the next. Many people receive as many as 10 calls per day.
What are Telephone Consumer Protection Act rules for texting?
Texting used to be used as an informal way for friends or family members to communicate with one another without having to get on the phone. It's increasingly being used by Vadnais Heights businesses including doctor's offices, banks, and retail stores to relay important messages, however. These entities have been forced to brush up on the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) to make sure that they lawfully communicate with their Minnesota customers.
There have already been 10 billion robocalls this year
Do you feel like you're getting more robocalls this year than you have in the past? Every time you see an unknown number pop up on the screen, do you just assume that it is a robotic service trying to sell you something?
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act could stand to be updated
Some say that the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) is trapped in a time warp. When it was signed into law in 1991, lawmakers hoped that it would decrease telemarketers' calls made to Americans on their home phones lines. We currently live in an era in which half of all Americans rely exclusively on cell phones though. Enforcement is difficult. This is especially the case since TCPA hasn't been updated since it was written.
Robocalls rob Minnesotans of their right to privacy
You see an unrecognizable phone number pop up on your cellphone screen, you answer the call and say hello. There's momentary silence before an upbeat voice comes on the line telling you how you've won a contest that you never even entered. You tell them to lose your number, but the robot on the other end of the line doesn't understand. They call back days later. More Minnesotans have been getting robocalls in recent months.
