The Cell Phone Junkie

Good news for those who get annoyed by “robocalls”, the FCC Wednesday approved new limits for telemarketers. According to the Commission:

“Too many telemarketers, aided by autodialers and prerecorded messages, have continued to call consumers who don’t want to hear from them,” said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski in a statement read at the meeting. These new overlapping rules seek to close loopholes in the existing regulations.

Under the new rules, telemarketers will have to get permission in writing from a consumer before a call can be placed to their phone number. Information calls, such as school closings and flight cancellations, are exceptions. They can be made to land-line phones without written permission. Texts and calls to cell phones though are a different matter. The FCC says that “Any type of phone call or text to a wireless device needs written consent.”

Finally, Genachowski says:

“Each and every telemarketing robocall will have to include an automated, interactive opt-out mechanism, so that a consumer can revoke consent by pressing just a few keys during the call. The company will have to immediately disconnect the call and add you to their do-not-call list.”

Consumers will have the ability to sue any companies that violate the rules.

Source: CNN via The Verge