Companies in consumer-facing industries face a continued wave of class action filings under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). In 2018, TCPA lawsuits remained one of the most filed types of class actions in courts...more
1/10/2019
/ Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Class Action ,
Databases ,
Exclusive Jurisdiction ,
FCC ,
Hobbs Act ,
Prior Express Consent ,
Reassigned Phone Numbers ,
Revocation ,
TCPA ,
Third-Party Liability
According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), approximately 100,000 cell phone numbers are reassigned in this country every day, resulting in millions of wireless numbers being reassigned each year. Reassigned...more
12/21/2018
/ Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Databases ,
Declaratory Rulings ,
FCC ,
Prior Express Consent ,
Reassigned Phone Numbers ,
Robocalling ,
Safe Harbors ,
Spam ,
TCPA ,
Text Messages ,
Wireless Devices
Are courts bound by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rulings and orders in deciding Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) cases? The United States Supreme Court has agreed to take on a case raising this very issue. ...more
Whether and in what form a consumer has given consent to be contacted via an automatic telephone dialing system (ATDS) may be a crucial aspect of determining liability under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)....more
On October 3, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) instituted a brief, immediate, supplemental comment period as it seeks to resolve an issue at the heart of thousands of lawsuits filed under the Telephone Consumer...more
Companies that market products through third-party agents or distributors face a particular risk under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) when their agents call, text or fax consumers without obtaining the necessary...more
8/14/2018
/ Advertising ,
Class Action ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Dish Network ,
Faxes ,
FCC ,
Marketing ,
TCPA ,
Telemarketing ,
Text Messages ,
Third-Party Liability ,
Unsolicited Faxes ,
Vicarious Liability
“What is an autodialer?” The FCC wants to know what you think.
For years, the question of what constitutes an autodialer has confounded courts, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and companies that call and text...more
Here are answers to many of the Frequently Asked Questions arising from the DC Circuit’s decision in ACA International.
TCPA R.I.P.? -
No. The DC Circuit struck down two of the FCC’s most controversial rules—the...more
4/5/2018
/ ATDS ,
Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Cell Phones ,
Declaratory Rulings ,
FCC ,
Prior Express Consent ,
Reassigned Phone Numbers ,
Revocation ,
Robocalling ,
Safe Harbors ,
Smartphones ,
TCPA
On March 22, 2018, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued its Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and is seeking comments on the intractable problem of Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) liability...more
In a long-awaited ruling, the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit trimmed the expansive scope of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). The appellants, in ACA International v. Federal Communications Commission...more
3/23/2018
/ Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Call Blocking ,
Declaratory Rulings ,
Exemptions ,
FCC ,
Mobile Devices ,
Prior Express Consent ,
Reassigned Phone Numbers ,
Revocation ,
Robocalling ,
Smartphones ,
TCPA ,
Telemarketing ,
Text Messages ,
Wireless Devices
One of the many criticisms of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), enacted in 1991, is that it has not kept pace with developments in communications technology. Instead, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC),...more
Companies across a spectrum of consumer-facing industries face a continued wave of class action filings under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). In 2017, TCPA lawsuits remained one of the most frequently filed...more
We continue to await a ruling from the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit in the appeal of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) July 2015 Omnibus Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) Declaratory Ruling and...more
In the face of significant opposition from virtually all quarters, All About The Message, LLC (AATM), has withdrawn its petition asking the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a declaratory ruling that a prerecorded...more
Consent to be contacted under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) is not revocable if included as a term of a written contract, according to a decision by the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in Reyes v....more
On June 6, 2017, the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit denied the government’s request for an en banc rehearing of a March 31, 2017, decision that invalidated a decade-old Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rule...more
Does a prerecorded message delivered directly to the recipient’s voicemail constitute a “call” subject to the restrictions of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)? The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is...more
In a March 31, 2017 ruling, the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit invalidated a 2006 Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rule requiring businesses to include opt-out notices on solicited fax advertisements sent with...more
With all the pomp, circumstance, and general political commotion surrounding the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump on January 20, 2017, it was easy to overlook one of his first acts in office: the appointment of Ajit...more
Utility companies continue to face ongoing litigation under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) that can arise from the use of automated communications with customers for purposes of marketing, customer servicing and...more
On November 16, 2016, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a final rule regarding the treatment of debt servicing and collection calls made by or on behalf of the federal government under the Telephone Consumer...more
The outcome of the 2016 presidential election has left many prognosticators scrambling to figure out the policy implications of the incoming Republican change in administration. Among countless other things, companies...more
Late last week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a long-anticipated declaratory order, ruling that utility companies may make robocalls and send automated texts to their customers concerning matters closely...more
Since the enactment of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) in 1991, technological advances in the way people communicate have often outpaced the ability of the courts and the Federal Communications Commission to...more