Acknowledging that “effective communications with the American public” is “a critical component” to efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released on its own motion, a...more
The long awaited draft technical requirements for the FCC’s reassigned numbers database was released today. At the time of the adoption of an order establishing this database in December 2018, the FCC tasked its North...more
As previously reported, the FCC’s ban of Huawei and ZTE equipment and services from projects subsidized by the FCC’s Universal Service Fund (USF) became effective on January 3, 2020, following the publication of its December...more
As predicted, amendments to the TCPA – in the form of the Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act (the “TRACED Act”) – were signed into law by the President of the United States on...more
1/7/2020
/ Amended Legislation ,
Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
FCC ,
Law Enforcement ,
New Legislation ,
Robocalling ,
Spoofing ,
TCPA ,
Telecommunications ,
Telemarketing
Senate Bill 151, now called “the Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act” (the “TRACED Act”), has been reconciled with the House of Representatives’ bipartisan bill House Bill 3375 and...more
On November 26, 2019, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted unanimously to ban Huawei Technologies Company and ZTE Corporation equipment and services from all projects subsidized by funding from the FCC’s...more
12/5/2019
/ China ,
FCC ,
Foreign Policy ,
Huawei ,
Information Technology ,
National Security ,
Prohibited Transactions ,
Supply Chain ,
Technology Sector ,
Telecommunications ,
Universal Service Fund ,
ZTE
As we previously discussed, the need for clarification as to the TCPA’s treatment of outbound calls made using soundboard technology (“soundboard calls”) is particularly manifest in light of two pending petitions before the...more
11/25/2019
/ Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Class Certification ,
Class Members ,
Declaratory Rulings ,
FCC ,
Prior Express Consent ,
Robocalling ,
Statutory Violations ,
Summary Judgment ,
TCPA ,
Telecommunications ,
Telemarketing
The 2016 amendments to the TCPA—which created an exemption for calls that are made “solely to collect a debt owed to or guaranteed by the United States”—have inadvertently reshaped the way that TCPA claims are litigated....more
10/18/2019
/ Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Debt Collection ,
Exemptions ,
FCC ,
Financial Services Industry ,
First Amendment ,
Petition for Writ of Certiorari ,
Proposed Rules ,
Robocalling ,
TCPA ,
Telecommunications
The FCC’s TCPA docket now has two pending petitions for declaratory ruling on the question as to whether outbound telemarketing calls made through soundboard technology are prohibited communications if made without prior...more
The FCC on August 1 voted to adopt enhanced Truth in Caller ID rules that will subject a broader range of “spoofed” calls to new heftier statutory civil penalty and potentially criminal sanctions for willful and knowing...more
Small-scale satellite operations licensed in the United States may soon benefit from a more accessible and flexible authorization framework. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last year proposed and is now poised to...more
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took another step closer to establishing a three-year, $100 million Connected Care Pilot program following review of public comments on its prior Notice of Inquiry that previewed...more
On June 24, 2019, the FCC’s adopted Declaratory Ruling and Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“Third FNPRM”) was published in the Federal Register, triggering the commenting period deadlines...more
While the FCC has a record open to adopt guidance and a new definition for what it considers as an “automatic telephone dialing system” (ATDS) and related TCPA matters, there appears to be growing consensus on “Robocall”...more
6/24/2019
/ Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Bad Actors ,
Do Not Call List ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FCC ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Robocalling ,
Safe Harbors ,
TCPA ,
Telecommunications
By directing voice service providers to deal with “unwanted calls” as part of its anti-robocall policies, the FCC seems to have moved well beyond addressing “illegal and spoofed robocalls.” The text of the FCC’s new “Call...more
6/12/2019
/ Algorithms ,
Call Blocking ,
Declaratory Rulings ,
FCC ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
Opt-Outs ,
Robocalling ,
Safe Harbors ,
Spoofing ,
Telecommunications ,
Telephone Service Providers
Voice service providers soon may dictate which calls will reach you. The FCC honed in on “unwanted calls” when it voted at its Open Meeting yesterday to adopt a Declaratory Ruling and Third Further Proposed Rulemaking (the...more
6/7/2019
/ Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Call Blocking ,
Declaratory Rulings ,
FCC ,
Opt-Outs ,
Robocalling ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Spoofing ,
TCPA ,
Telecommunications ,
Telephone Service Providers
Businesses may dial large volumes of numbers daily for a variety of legitimate purposes. These calls now appear to have become swept up and conflated with illegal robocalls, with a number of undesirable consequences....more
5/20/2019
/ B2C ,
Call Blocking ,
Caller ID Services ,
FCC ,
Opt-Outs ,
Proposed Rules ,
Reassigned Phone Numbers ,
Robocalling ,
Safe Harbors ,
Spoofing ,
Telemarketing ,
Telephone Service Providers ,
Third-Party Service Provider