Lawmaker is the House author of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act

Washington (May 14, 2015) –The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is currently considering weakening Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) rules that prevent most autodialing calls to land lines and mobile phones. The TCPA was passed 20 years ago to protect consumers from unsolicited and intrusive telephone calls from telemarketers while families were eating meals together or parents were helping children with homework. Specifically, the Commission is assessing whether the FCC should provide exemptions from liability when auto-dialers are used to make three calls to a person who has not provided consent. The FCC is also evaluating whether to allow industries to send unsolicited texts or calls without consent in certain circumstances.  Today, Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and nine Senate Democrats joined in a letter calling on the FCC to reject these proposals to weaken the law.

“These proposals would threaten privacy and result in an increase in disruptive and annoying calls for American consumers,” write the Senators in the letter to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. “We strongly urge the FCC to maintain the TCPA’s privacy protections and to continue to protect consumers from unwanted calls.”

A link to the letter to the FCC can be found HERE.

Signatories on the letter include Senators Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ). 

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