Credit Union, Banking Trade Groups Ask FCC to Delay Robocall Plan
The groups suggest that before the FCC adopts the policy, the agency should solicit public comments.
As the Federal Communications Commission prepares for a crucial vote on robocalls Thursday, a coalition of business groups, including CUNA and NAFCU, is urging the commission to delay approval of the policy and instead, seek public comment on it.
“We are deeply concerned that the draft Declaratory Ruling released on May 16, 2019, if adopted as drafted, would result in the erroneous blocking of lawful calls—including urgent calls affecting consumer health, safety, and financial well-being,” the group, which also includes the American Bankers Association, the American Association of Healthcare Administrative Management and the National Retail Federation, wrote in a letter to FCC officials.
Under the plan, developed by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, and scheduled to be voted on Thursday, carriers would be able to identify the phone numbers from which consumers are being blasted with telephone calls. The carriers would have the power to stop calls coming from that number.
Telephone companies would be able to decide whether to charge consumers for the service.
Currently, consumers must weed out those calls.
In their letter, the groups said that calls, such as “public safety alerts, fraud alerts, data security breach notifications, product recall notices, healthcare and prescription reminders, and power outage updates” could be blocked under the proposal.
The groups suggested that before the FCC adopts the policy, the agency should solicit public comments so that groups may express their concerns.