On March 22, 2018, the FCC adopted a Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) on reassigned numbers. On April 23, 2018, the FNPRM was published in the Federal Register, triggering the commenting period deadlines. Comments on the FNPRM must be submitted by June 7, and reply comments must be submitted by July 9, 2018. Continue reading “FCC’s Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Reassigned Numbers Published in Federal Register; Comment Clock Begins”
FCC and FTC to Co-Host Technology Expo Aimed at Combatting Illegal Robocalls
As we previously reported, the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission recently issued a joint announcement regarding two events “aimed at furthering the fight against illegal robocalls and caller ID spoofing.” The first event was a joint policy forum that was held on March 23, 2018. The second event, which will be held on April 23, 2018, is an expo that will “showcase technologies, devices, and applications to minimize or eliminate the illegal robocalls consumers receive.”
The free and public expo will feature brief remarks from FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and acting FTC Chairman Maureen K. Ohlhausen, as well as demonstrations from the following companies:
- AT&T
- Call Control
- Comcast Corporation
- Digitone Communications
- First Orion Corp.
- Hiya
- Neustar Communications
- Nomorobo
- Reverd LLC
- Scammer Jammer
- South Coast Telecom Inc.
- T-Mobile
- TNS
- Verizon
- VTech Communications, Inc.
- YouMail
Additional information on the Stop Illegal Robocalls Expo is available here.
District Court Reinforces Requirement that Revocation of Consent Must be Reasonable
The District of New Jersey recently dismissed a class action TCPA complaint, finding that the plaintiff did not use a reasonable method of revoking consent when she failed to follow the defendant’s straightforward directions for providing such revocation. Rando v. Edible Arrangements Int’l, LLC, No. 17-0701, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 51201 (D.N.J. Mar. 28, 2018). In doing so, the court’s decision further confirmed the position within the District that the totality of the circumstances dictates whether a method of revocation of consent is reasonable and thus valid in TCPA cases. Continue reading “District Court Reinforces Requirement that Revocation of Consent Must be Reasonable”
A Call for Change: D.C. Circuit Dials Back FCC’s 2015 TCPA Ruling
Members of our TCPA Team recently published an alert with detailed analysis and insights into the D.C. Circuit’s long-awaited decision in ACA Int’l v. FCC, and its implications for litigation and TCPA compliance efforts. The alert also provides a look ahead to regulatory and legislative responses to this seminal decision.
Worth the Wait! D.C. Circuit Vacates Key Portions of FCC’s July 2015 TCPA Order
At the Federal Communications Bar Association’s TCPA symposium in D.C. last month, panelists from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and private practice expressed uncertainty regarding when the D.C. Circuit would issue its much-anticipated ruling in the appeal of the FCC’s July 2015 Declaratory Ruling and Order (the “2015 Order”). It turns out that that day is today. And the ruling was well worth the wait. Continue reading “Worth the Wait! D.C. Circuit Vacates Key Portions of FCC’s July 2015 TCPA Order”
FCC Releases Draft Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Reassigned Numbers Database
In anticipation of its March 22 Public Meeting, the FCC on March 1 released a draft of a Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking addressing comments received on its earlier Notice of Inquiry on proposals for a database to identify reassigned numbers (FNPRM). The FNPRM was released alongside the FCC’s Public Meeting Agenda. The draft FNPRM primarily seeks comment on: (1) the specific information that callers would need from any reassigned number database; and (2) the best way to make that information available to callers. The draft will be considered for adoption by the full Commission at the meeting. Continue reading “FCC Releases Draft Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Reassigned Numbers Database”
FCC and FTC Announce Two Upcoming Joint Events Aimed at Combatting Illegal Robocalls
On March 7, 2018, the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission issued a joint announcement regarding two upcoming events “aimed at furthering the fight against illegal robocalls and caller ID spoofing.” The announcement states that the events will “highlight cooperative efforts by the two agencies to combat illegal calls and promote innovative solutions to protect consumers.” The first event is a policy forum the two agencies will be co-hosting on March 23, 2018. The agencies intend to discuss “the regulatory challenges posed by illegal robocalls and what the FCC and FTC are doing to both protect consumers and encourage the development of private-sector solutions” at the forum. Additional information on the forum is available here. The second event is an expo the two agencies will be co-hosting on April 23, 2018. The Stop Illegal Robocalls Expo will showcase “technologies, devices, and applications to minimize or eliminate the illegal robocalls consumers receive.” Additional information on the expo, including how to participate in the expo, is available here.
To Plaintiffs’ Dismay, SCOTUS Likely Won’t Review ‘Case-Killer’ TCPA Decision
Prior to the Supreme Court’s denial of petition for certiorari filed by the class action plaintiffs in Bais Yaakov of Spring Valley v. FCC (an appeal we have been monitoring since the briefing in the D.C. Circuit up through the recent cert petition briefing), TCPA Blog contributor Justin Kay spoke with Legal NewsLine about the petition and the Supreme Court’s likely response. Continue reading “To Plaintiffs’ Dismay, SCOTUS Likely Won’t Review ‘Case-Killer’ TCPA Decision”
Class Decertified: Wireless Provider’s Data Demonstrates Individualized Issues of Consent
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois recently decertified a class after the defendant, Yahoo! Inc., submitted new evidence showing that tens of thousands of putative class members may have consented to receive the text messages at issue. See Johnson v. Yahoo! Inc., No. 14-2028 (N.D. Ill. Feb. 13, 2018).
The dispute relates to the Yahoo! Messenger service, which allows Yahoo! users to send text messages to cell phones. After a user would send an initial text message to a specific cell phone number, Yahoo! would send an additional “Welcome Message” text message to that number: “A Yahoo! user has sent you a message. Reply to that SMS to respond. Reply INFO to this SMS for help or go to y.ahoo.it/imsms.” The plaintiff alleges that these Welcome Messages violate the TCPA based on a theory that Yahoo! did not have the “prior express consent” of the “called party” (the third party to whom the Yahoo! user had sent the original text message). Continue reading “Class Decertified: Wireless Provider’s Data Demonstrates Individualized Issues of Consent”
Second Circuit Again Rejects TCPA Claims Over Health Care Calls
The Second Circuit yesterday delivered a ruling that was widely expected but also widely welcomed by health care providers struggling to provide patients with important reminders while avoiding massive TCPA class action liabilities. Zani v. Rite Aid Hdqtrs. Corp., 17-1230-cv (Feb. 21, 2018), affirmed summary judgment in favor of Rite Aid over its prerecorded flu shot reminder calls. We wrote about the lower court decision in Zani here. The Second Circuit’s ruling came as no surprise because the same court last month ruled for another health care provider in rejecting TCPA claims over flu shot reminder texts. We analyzed that case, Latner v. Mount Sinai Health System, Inc., 879 F.3d 52 (2d Cir. 2018), here. Indeed, finding that the issues in Zani were “virtually identical” to those in Latner (Opinion, p. 5), the Second Circuit delivered its latest ruling in a non-precedential summary order. Continue reading “Second Circuit Again Rejects TCPA Claims Over Health Care Calls”