Comments of the National Consumer Law Center, Consumer Action, Consumer Federation of America, EPIC, National Association of Consumer Advocates, and U.S. PIRG on behalf of a broad swath of national organizations representing consumers in the United States, oppose the request for a declaratory ruling submitted by Perdue for Senate, Inc., which seeks a ruling that would allow unfettered voicemail messages to swamp the voicemail boxes of consumers’ cell phones.
The Petition in this case seeks a ruling that voicemail messages that are inserted into consumers’ cell phone voicemail boxes without ringing the cell phones are exempt from the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Yet these voicemail messages are just as invasive, expensive, and annoying as calls and texts to cell phones. Granting the Petitioner’s request would allow ringless voicemail messages regarding telemarketing, debt collection, and outright scams to overwhelm the voicemail boxes of consumers. Unlike its ability to limit calls and texts, current technology does not give consumers any way to block unwanted voicemail messages from particular callers.