The two federal agencies that affect the telemarketing industry the most, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), have announced that they will be co-hosting two events aimed at reducing Illegal Robocalls and Caller ID spoofing.
This year, enforcement actions by the FCC have resulted in 134 lawsuits against 789 companies and individuals alleged to be responsible for placing billions of unwanted telemarketing calls to consumers. In addition, the FCC has recently adopted new rules allowing phone companies to block robocalls that are likely to be illegal, such as those purporting to be from non-existent numbers.
“Scam robocalls and deceptive spoofing are real threats to American consumers, and they are the number one consumer complaint at the FCC. We’re committed to confronting this problem using every tool we have. I’m pleased to announce these efforts in our continued work with the FTC to protect consumers.” — FCC Chairman Ajit Pai
The Two RoboCall Policy Forums:
- Policy Forum – March 23
The agencies will host a Policy Forum “to discuss the regulatory challenges posed by illegal robocalls and what the FTC and FCC are doing to both protect consumers and encourage the development of private-sector solutions.” - Technology Expo – April 23
A second event is the Technology Expo which “will feature technologies, devices, and applications to minimize or eliminate the illegal robocalls consumers receive. The FTC and FCC have worked closely with phone companies, tech innovators, and others to find solutions for consumers to the problems of illegal robocalls and malicious spoofing.”
Additional information, including links to websites that will live-stream both events, can be found in the FTC press release, FTC and FCC to Host Joint Policy Forum and Consumer Expo.