News

On April 18th six U.S. Senators introduced the ROBOCOP Act which requires phone companies to offer their customers free robocall blocking technology. The bill is intended to protect consumers from overseas scammers. Unfortunately, it could also become a major headache for debt collectors.

Contact Center Compliance won the 2018 Member of the Year Award which honors the organization that has exhibited excellence and made the biggest impact on the membership of PACE.

The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) updated the U.S. Senate on the progress of their fight against illegal robocalls and the harm inflicted on consumers and legitimate business. The April 18th hearing examined the problem of malicious spoofing and abusive robocalls designed to defraud consumers.

Vroom, Inc., an online car retailer, received a favorable ruling from the Southern District of Florida in March that is good news for business that use automated text messaging. The lawsuit dealt with the issue of consent and the type of consent required as defined by the TCPA.

Calls to these states on restricted dates could result in a State violation.

• May 4th: Rhode Island Independence Day
• May 21st: Victoria Day (National Patriots' Day in Quebec)
• May 28th: Memorial Day
• National Memorial Day/Jefferson Davis' Birthday

Palisades Collection has settled a $3.9 million lawsuit in which the debt collector is alleged to have unlawfully sued customers of AT&T Wireless for the collection of debt. The lawsuit involves Palisades freezing their bank accounts and garnishing wages.

In Marshall v. The CBE Group, Inc. the plaintiff filed a TCPA lawsuit alleging that The CBE Group had called her using an ATDS. Citing the recent ACA v. FCC decision and stating that it would apply a strict definition of an ATDS, the court held that CBE's, "communications infrastructure does not constitute an ATDS."

States are continuing to enact telemarketing restrictions which are more stringent than their federal counterparts. The following are recent updates to the state telemarketing laws in Florida and West Virginia that you should be aware of before dialing into those states.

On Friday, March 23, the FCC-FTC held the first of two scheduled forums addressing illegal robocalls. This first meeting brought together telecommunications experts and officials from the FCC and FTC to discuss ways for dealing with the growing problem of illegal robocalls.