On February 15, 2024, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) published a Report and Order (Order) that attempts to clarify the rules for revoking consent under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). Most notably,...more
Eversheds Sutherland presents our 8th annual TCPA year-in-review report highlighting key TCPA issues and trends. Few industries are immune from TCPA liability. In 2023, the insurance, financial services, energy and health...more
On February 8, 2024, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a News Release titled “FCC Makes AI-Generated Voices in Robocalls Illegal.” Despite this attention-grabbing headline, the FCC’s unanimous Declaratory...more
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted new rules that will limit businesses’ ability to rely on lead generators and comparison shopping websites to attract new customers. In an Order issued December 13, 2023,...more
The list of states with new or amended telemarketing statutes, sometimes known as “mini-TCPAs,” is growing. A flurry of state legislative activity has created a patchwork of often-conflicting laws that companies must navigate...more
10/5/2023
/ Amended Legislation ,
Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Do Not Call List ,
FCC ,
New Legislation ,
Private Right of Action ,
Robocalling ,
State and Local Government ,
Statutory Penalties ,
TCPA ,
Telemarketing
In a flurry of activity at its meeting on March 16, 2023, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), finalized rules aimed at robocaller identification and mobile carrier requirements, and proposed a new rule for comment...more
In a unanimous Declaratory Ruling and Order (Order) issued on November 21, 2022, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) found that a “ringless voicemail,” which delivers a message directly to a consumer’s voicemail,...more
A statutory “safe harbor” within the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) may have become a bit safer after a federal court reinforced what defendants must do to secure statutory protection from high-dollar TCPA lawsuits....more
A federal district court judge refused to certify a class led by a serial plaintiff who prolonged unsolicited calls in order to create a cause of action under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). The decision is a...more
12/9/2021
/ Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Class Representatives ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Do Not Call List ,
FCC ,
Private Right of Action ,
Putative Class Actions ,
TCPA ,
Text Messages
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) poses a constant threat to companies that wish to communicate with existing and prospective customers because the statute imposes strict liability on companies that call or text...more
12/6/2021
/ Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Databases ,
Do Not Call List ,
Due Diligence ,
FCC ,
Prior Express Consent ,
Reassigned Phone Numbers ,
Robocalling ,
Safe Harbors ,
TCPA ,
Telecommunications ,
Telemarketing ,
Third-Party Service Provider
On July 9, 2021, President Biden signed the Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy. The Order, breathtaking in scope, asserts as a key goal the desire to improve the lives of consumers through...more
7/21/2021
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Biden Administration ,
Competition ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Department of Agriculture ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Executive Orders ,
FCC ,
Federal Reserve ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Insurance Industry ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Agencies ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Technology Sector ,
Unfair Labor Practices
Supreme Court leaves TCPA intact; strikes down exception for government debt collection -
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) remains in place, but the exception permitting robocalls for government debt...more
3/26/2021
/ ATDS ,
Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Barr v American Association of Political Consultants Inc ,
Caller ID Services ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
FCC ,
First Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Prior Express Consent ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Robocalling ,
SCOTUS ,
Spoofing ,
TCPA
Will anything stop the continuing barrage of class action lawsuits under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)? In 2020, TCPA lawsuits remained one of the most commonly-filed type of class action in federal courts...more
1/13/2021
/ Article III ,
Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Biden Administration ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Debt Collection ,
FCC ,
First Amendment ,
Injury-in-Fact ,
Robocalling ,
SCOTUS ,
Standing ,
TCPA ,
Third-Party Liability
Although the hunt for a workable definition of autodialer (automatic telephone dialing system, or ATDS) continues, a calling platform must be “capable of originating a call or sending a text” without human intervention in...more
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has set forth final rules pursuant to the federal Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act (TRACED Act), allowing for further civil forfeiture...more
Over the past eight years, the number of cases filed in courts across the country alleging violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) has more than quadrupled, with thousands filed each year. In 2018, another...more
The FCC announced on March 31, 2020, new rules requiring implementation of caller ID authentication, known as STIR/SHAKEN. The FCC is requiring voice service providers to implement caller ID authentication using the...more
Eversheds Sutherland is pleased to send you its sixth annual REDIAL: 2019 TCPA YEAR-IN-REVIEW – ANALYSIS OF CRITICAL ISSUES AND TRENDS IN TCPA COMPLIANCE AND LITIGATION. Inside this digital edition, you will find our in-depth...more
2/12/2020
/ ATDS ,
Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Consent ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Do Not Call List ,
Energy Sector ,
FCC ,
Hobbs Act ,
Insurance Industry ,
Marketing ,
Mobile Devices ,
Petition for Writ of Certiorari ,
Reassigned Phone Numbers ,
Safe Harbors ,
Split of Authority ,
Standing ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Statutory Authority ,
TCPA ,
Text Messages ,
TRACED Act ,
Utilities Sector
Companies in consumer-facing industries face a continued barrage of lawsuits under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). In 2019, TCPA lawsuits remained one of the most commonly filed type of class action in federal...more
1/30/2020
/ Appeals ,
Article III ,
ATDS ,
Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Cell Phones ,
Class Action ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Facebook ,
FCC ,
Mobile Devices ,
Petition for Writ of Certiorari ,
Prior Express Consent ,
Reassigned Phone Numbers ,
Revocation ,
Safe Harbors ,
Smartphones ,
Standing ,
TCPA ,
TRACED Act
2019 saw an effort by both Congress and various state legislatures to reduce the volume of robocalling and “spoofed” calls. Robocalls are pre-recorded calls placed through automated dialing equipment while spoofed calls...more
1/15/2020
/ Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Civil Forfeiture ,
Enforcement Authority ,
FCC ,
Forfeiture ,
New Legislation ,
New Regulations ,
Regulatory Violations ,
Robocalling ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Spoofing ,
State Legislatures ,
TCPA ,
Telecommunications
On December 9, 2019, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) released a declaratory ruling in which it found that online fax services that receive unsolicited fax advertisements “sent as email over the...more
Over the last three years alone, energy, utility and solar companies have been targeted in numerous putative class actions alleging violations of the TCPA that resulted in several multimillion-dollar settlements totaling more...more
12/3/2019
/ Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Class Action ,
Energy Sector ,
FCC ,
New Guidance ,
Opt-Outs ,
Prior Express Consent ,
Settlement ,
Solar Energy ,
TCPA ,
Telemarketing ,
Text Messages ,
Utilities Sector
More than a year has passed since the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ended its supplemental comment period aimed at providing guidance on the definition of an “automatic telephone dialing system” (ATDS or autodialer)...more
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) is one of the most frequently litigated statutes, spurring individual, and more often, national class action litigation. The pace at which new TCPA suits are filed is not slowing,...more
8/8/2019
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Exclusive Jurisdiction ,
FCC ,
Hobbs Act ,
Legislative Agendas ,
PDR Network LLC v Carlton & Harris Chiropractic Inc ,
Private Right of Action ,
Remand ,
Robocalling ,
TCPA ,
Telecommunications ,
Unsolicited Advertisements ,
Unsolicited Faxes
Although the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) may be most commonly known for its prohibitions on robocalls, text messages also fall within the TCPA’s broad scope. Given the outsize risk of class action TCPA litigation...more