Effective July 1, 2019, the state of Mississippi has enacted emergency rules that modify their Telephone Solicitation Act. The changes to Mississippi's DNC Registry will impact telemarketing to both residential and business numbers. Expect an increase in civil penalties for violations.
On July 25th, 2019, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), along with its state and federal partners, announced a major crackdown on illegal robocalls. The program, called Operation Call It Quits, includes 94 actions targeting operations responsible for over one billion calls.
State Restricted Do Not Call Dates
July 4, 2019 – Independence Day
July 5, 2019 – State Holiday declared by Governor
July 24, 2019 – Pioneer Day
Canadian Restricted Do Not Call Dates
July 1, 2019 – Canada Day
Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved a Declaratory Ruling that will allow phone service providers to block robocalls by default. Reasonable call analytics will be used by the services providers to determine if default blocking will be allowed.
On Thursday May 23rd, 2019, the Senate approved the TRACED Act which will dramatically increase fines for illegal robocalls. The bill passed with an overwhelming 97-1 vote. Only a single vote from Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) was against the legislation. The TRACED Act’s next stop is the House of Representatives.
The TRACED Act (Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act) was sponsored by Senators John Thune (R-SD), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Roger Wicker (R-MS). Its purpose is to combat robocalls with stronger deterrents.
On May 15, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) submitted a proposal that would allow phone carriers to block unwanted robocalls to their customers by default. Most phone service providers offer call-blocking as an opt-in service, but this new initiative would allow robocall blocking by phone carriers without opt-in.