The FCC's New TCPA Rule Set To Take Effect

Businesses that engage in telemarketing or the delivery of text messages, take note: the already tough rules of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) are about to get tougher.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently revised its TCPA rule1 to make the consent requirements stricter for the delivery of certain autodialed and prerecorded telemarketing calls and marketing text messages.2 The revised rule takes effect on October 16, 2013. In light of the Act's draconian penalties of up to $1500 per violating call or text, and plaintiffs' attorneys' aggressive and expansive use of the Act, it is critical that businesses conform their calling and text messaging practices to the revised rule, as described below.

New consent requirements for certain telemarketing calls and marketing text messages

The revised rule requires prior express written consent from the call or text message recipient for:

Autodialed3 or prerecorded telemarketing calls and text messages delivered to a cell phone.4 For autodialed or prerecorded calls and text messages delivered to a cell phone that do not constitute telemarketing, the rule remains the same: only prior express consent (rather than prior express written consent) is required. Prerecorded telemarketing calls to residential landlines.5 The revision eliminates the exception allowing sellers to place prerecorded telemarketing calls to landlines of persons with whom they have an established business relationship, thus conforming the FCC's rule to the Federal Trade Commission's Telemarketing Sales Rule.6 The rule's new consent requirements apply only to advertising and telemarketing calls or messages, and not to purely informational or transactional calls or messages, such as flight updates, debt collection calls, surveys or bank account fraud alerts (the rule for which, when autodialed to a cell phone or prerecorded, remains the same — it requires prior express consent).7 If, however, any portion of an otherwise informational call includes advertising or telemarketing, the prior express written consent requirement applies.8

What is "prior express written consent"?

The revised rule defines "prior express written consent" as a written agreement signed by the called party, in which he or she "clearly authorizes" receiving prerecorded or autodialed telemarketing calls or messages from the specific seller.9The agreement must include "clear and conspicuous" disclosures that:

By signing the agreement, the...