Robocalls & Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) Archives

Bipartisan House Bill Moves Forward in the Fight to Stop Unwanted Robocalls

July 17, 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JULY 17, 2019 Washington, D.C. – Today, the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce passed unanimously (48-0) the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act (HR 3375). The bipartisan bill was introduced in June by Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), chair and ranking member, respectively, of the U.S. House Committee on Energy and…

Bipartisan House Bill is a Significant Step Forward in the Fight to Stop Unwanted Robocalls

June 20, 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JUNE 20, 2019 Washington, D.C. – Today, the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), chair and ranking member, respectively, of the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The bill is also sponsored by Rep. Mike…

FCC Approves Phone Companies Proactively Blocking Robocalls

June 6, 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 6, 2019 National Consumer Law Center Senior Attorney Margot Saunders issues statement on FCC proposal calling it “a meaningful first step, but not a magic bullet.” WASHINGTON, D.C.–Today, the FCC unanimously approved a proposal to grant phone service providers the authority to proactively block robocalls that its analysis determines are automated…

Consumer Watchdog’s Proposed Debt Collection Rule Bites Consumers: Authorizes Harassment by Debt Collectors

May 7, 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 7, 2019 Consumer Watchdog’s Proposed Debt Collection Rule Bites Consumers: Authorizes Harassment by Debt Collectors Washington – The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a proposed debt collection rule today which provides numerous gifts to debt collectors with limited new protections for consumers. “We are horrified that the CFPB’s proposed rule will actually…

National Consumer Law Center Attorney Margot Saunders Will Testify at U.S. House Hearing on Legislating to Stop the Onslaught of Annoying Robocalls

April 30, 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 30, 2019 U.S. on Track to Hit 60 Billion Robocalls in 2019 Full written testimony of National Consumer Law Center Senior Counsel Margot Saunders is available at: http://bit.ly/2UIVXIM Washington – On Tuesday, April 30 at 10:00 am ET, the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Communications and Technology…

NCLC Attorney Margot Saunders to Testify at U.S. Senate Hearing on Stopping Illegal Robocalls on April 11; Will Urge FCC to Strengthen Key Federal Privacy Law

April 11, 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 11, 2019 NCLC Attorney Margot Saunders to Testify at U.S. Senate Hearing on Stopping Illegal Robocalls on April 11; Will Urge FCC to Strengthen Key Federal Privacy Law Robocalls increase 370% since Dec. 2015 with 5.2 billion robocalls in March 2019 Full written testimony of National Consumer Law Center Senior Counsel…

Report: Unpublished FTC Data about Debt Collection Complaints Shed Light on Reported Law Violations by Collectors

February 7, 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 7, 2019 National Consumer Law Center Report Analyzes Nearly 700,000 Consumer Complaints from 2017 for 50 States, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico Download the full report and access debt collection fact sheets (national, state, and District of Columbia) a map of the number of complaints per capita in each state,…

Legislation to Shut Down Unwanted Robocalls Reintroduced

February 4, 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 4, 2019 The “Stopping Bad Robocalls Act” would reinforce decades-old consumer protections from robocalls WASHINGTON – Consumer advocates at the National Consumer Law Center applaud Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ-6) for reintroducing the “Stopping Bad Robocalls Act,” a bill to clarify significant sections of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). Congressman Pallone…

Consumer Groups Urge Action on Bipartisan Legislation to Stop Misleading “Spoofed” Robocalls

January 17, 2019

WASHINGTON, DC — A bipartisan bill reintroduced today in the Senate will address the growing problem of “spoofed” robocalls that use fraudulent caller identification information to disguise the caller’s true identity. Led by Senators Thune (R-S.D.) and Markey (D-Mass.), the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act (S. 151) would direct the Federal…

Advocates Commend CFPB’s Intent to Address Debt Complaints; Federal Regulators Will Create Proposed Rules to Curb Predatory Debt Collection Tactics

March 3, 2014

WASHINGTON – Year after year, one of the top consumer complaints to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is problems with debt collection. Complaints are skyrocketing: from 13,950 in 2000 to 199,721 in 2012 – more than a 900% increase in just over a decade. In January 2014 alone, consumers registered about 3000 complaints regarding debt…

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