This week, the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology advanced the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act, bipartisan legislation co-sponsored by Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Ranking Member Greg Walden (R-OR) . The bill is intended to prevent unwanted robocalls, but could be problematic for legitimate businesses. The bill could be marked up in the full committee as early as July.
The legislation directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to clarify the definition of “automatic telephone dialing systems” within six months of the effective date, ensure call-blocking services are provided with “transparency and effective redress options for both consumers and callers,” and report on the reassigned numbers database, among other provisions.
AFSA advocated against the broad definition of “auto-dialer,” and was pleased to see that definition removed from the initial draft, but remains concerned about the lack of clarity in the bill’s definition of “called party.” AFSA continues to urge the committee to amend the definition to include the “intended recipient,” so that the caller can have reasonable reliance on the prior express consent given to them by their customers. AFSA also continues to reiterate its concerns about the call blocking provisions, which could unintentionally prevent customers from receiving calls with important information from their financial institution.
This week, the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology advanced the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act, bipartisan legislation co-sponsored by Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Ranking Member Greg … Read the rest
More than 50 leaders of the American Financial Services Association’s (AFSA) Vehicle Finance Division and the National Automobile Dealer Association’s (NADA) met this week in Washington, DC, to discuss opportunities and… Read the rest
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today published its call-blocking Declaratory Ruling and Third Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the Federal Register. Comments will be due 30 days after publication and reply comments will … Read the rest
AFSA has offered its support for H.R. 3182, legislation introduced by Representatives Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX), Ted Budd (R-NC) and a bipartisan group of lawmakers, to delay the implementation of the Federal Accounting Standards Board’s… Read the rest
On June 20, AFSA submitted a comment letter to the New York legislature raising concerns about AB 2078 and its companion SB 4019, which would remove liability for the early termination of a lease in the event of a lessee’s death. The bills… Read the rest
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is holding its fourth annual PrivacyCon on June 27, 2019.
The event promises to focus on issues related to consumer privacy and data security, both of which are issues of critical importance for the consumer… Read the rest
Join us on June 27th at 2 p.m. ET for SMS for e-Signature and Electronic Documents presented by D’Lange Mobile.
Using text messaging and e-signature offers speed and convenience that consumers increasingly appreciate. There are important… Read the rest
WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The American Financial Services Association, the national trade association for the consumer credit industry, is pleased to welcome communications professional Ed McFadden as its new Vice … Read the rest
AFSA attended and participated in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Consumer Advisory Board meetings held June 5th and 6th in Washington. The focus of the meeting was on broad policy matters related to the Bureau’s Unified… Read the rest
Ajit Pai, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) yesterday announced that proposed rules governing robocalls would likely contain a “safety valve” in order to ensure that legitimate businesses like financial… Read the rest
