Contact Compliance and the Mobile Informational Call Act
Posted on Tue, Oct 18, 2011 @ 03:19 PM
By Melissa Bateman
Many in businesses have long condoned the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) for its antiquated provisions surrounding the use of automated dialing equipment. The short of the regulations is that the FCC prohibits the dialing of a mobile telephone number with automated dialing equipment or equipment that has the capacity to autodial without prior express consent. This prohibition includes informational or service oriented calls. While these types of calls are permitted to the traditional landline, businesses struggle with contacting the 40% of US consumers who only have a mobile phone number as their primary form of contact. Enacted at a time when most mobile phone users paid per minute, the consumer protection law was intended to protect mobile users from being charged per phone call. Now in a time where more and more consumers are disconnecting their home phone number and pay a flat rate for their service, businesses and consumers are missing out important notifications delivered by automated dialing equipment.
If enacted, HR 3035 will permit the dialing of wireless numbers with an automated dialer for purposes other than solicitation, permitting businesses to notify its customer-base of important notifications in a timely manner. Additionally the bill will eliminate the restriction of dialing wireless phone numbers with equipment that has the capacity to generate random numbers. HR 3035 modernizes the TCPA and provides businesses more capability around the use of automated dialing equipment when dialing wireless phone numbers. Gryphon’s Privacy Consulting Team will continue to monitor this piece of legislation and update its clients should it become enacted.
