FCC’s New Rules Makes It Harder For Companies To Send Unwanted Messages

With the new rules that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has put in place, it is now increasingly difficult for companies to send unwanted marketing messages to people's mobile devices. Under these new rules, mobile users now have expanded options in unsubscribing or blocking marketing messages or pre-recorded telemarketing phone calls.

Just recently, the FCC just voted 3-2 in favor of adopting rules that prevent companies from taking advantage of a loophole in the law, allowing them to pester consumers with their promotional content. That changes now as consumers are given more freedom to refuse accepting these types of content. Companies in turn are required to offer their customers a service that allows blocking of automated marketing calls. 

More than a couple of decades ago, the United States Congress passed the Telephone Protection Act, which was enacted to protect people from unsolicited calls from telemarketers. But as many may have realized now, this law may either be ineffective or hopelessly outdated because one basically can not go through the day without encountering an unwanted promotional content from some company selling their products or services.

For years, consumers have resorted to signing up for Do Not Call lists, but apparently, these types of calls keep on coming. In 2012, the FCC tried to adopt stricter rules regarding unsolicited telemarketing practices, but the problem persists until now, and may have gotten worse. As a matter of fact, unwanted telemarketing calls and texts is the number one complaint that the FCC has received from consumers for quite some time now. In 2014 alone, the agency received more than 200,000 complaints of such practices. 

Every agrees that this problem needs to be addressed, but not all can't seem to agree on the best solution. Some are even questioning whether the new rules are too strict, effectively hindering legitimate businesses from promoting their products and services. Also, the new rules could lead to bogus lawsuits, and could unfairly punish companies who are just trying to take advantage of the latest advancements in mobile technology.

The FCC may be walking a thin line in getting these new rules to take effect. How does it balance things between protecting consumers from unwanted calls and texts, and giving legit businesses the opportunity to market their wares? Furthermore, any new rule tends to come with its own set of potential loopholes, something which could still be exploited anew. Nothing is for certain for now, and perhaps only time will tell if the agency has chosen the right approach in solving this persistent issue.