Published: October 2021

The FCC should protect Americans from sneaky voicemails from telemarketers and debt collectors

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is considering a request to allow the use of "ringless" voicemail technology by exempting it from the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), which prohibits most unwanted calls and texts. The new technology enables telemarketers and debt collectors to send potentially unwanted, prerecorded messages directly to the subscriber’s cell phone voicemail without ever giving the consumer the opportunity to answer—or to block—the incoming call. Consumer Action joined consumer groups in urging the FCC to deny the request to omit ringless voicemails from the TCPA. Ringless direct-to-voicemail messages are just as invasive, expensive and annoying as calls and texts to cell phones.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is considering a request that would throw open the door for a new form of robocall: “ringless voicemails” that would bypass ringtones and go straight to voicemail, filling inboxes with prerecorded political campaign messages, annoying sales pitches and other unwanted spam calls. A robocaller operating on behalf of a political campaign (Perdue for Senate) has filed a request with the FCC for an exemption from the federal law that restricts unwanted automated calls, claiming that a ringless voicemail is not a “call” under the law, so voicemails can be sent to your phone without your consent. If ringless voicemails are left unregulated by the TCPA, telemarketing and debt collection messages could easily overwhelm consumers’ voicemail boxes—or worse, cost them money to check and delete.

Lead Organization

National Consumer Law Center (NCLC)

Other Organizations

National Consumer Law Center | Consumer Action | Consumer Federation of America | EPIC | National Association of Consumer Advocates | U.S. PIRG

More Information

For more information, please visit NCLC.

 

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The FCC should protect Americans from sneaky voicemails from telemarketers and debt collectors   (Final_Perdue_Opposition.pdf)