FCC Actions on Robocalls, Telemarketing

FCC Actions on Robocalls, Telemarketing
Federal Communications Commission

Telemarketing Policy

In an effort to address a growing number of telephone marketing calls, Congress enacted in 1991 the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). The TCPA restricts the making of telemarketing calls and the use of automatic telephone dialing systems and artificial or prerecorded voice messages. The rules apply to common carriers as well as to other marketers. In 1992, the Commission adopted rules to implement the TCPA, including the requirement that entities making telephone solicitations institute procedures for maintaining company-specific do-not-call lists.

On July 3, 2003, the FCC revised its TCPA rules to establish, in coordination with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a national Do-Not-Call registry. The national registry is nationwide in scope, covers all telemarketers (with the exception of certain nonprofit organizations), and applies to both interstate and intrastate calls. The registry went into effect on October 1, 2003, and is administered by the FTC. To reduce the number of ìhang-upî and ìdead airî calls consumers experience, the Commissionís telemarketing rules also contain restrictions on the use of autodialers and requirements for transmitting caller ID information.

For more details about the Commissionís telemarketing rules, including the do-not-call provisions, click on the link on this page for the July 3, 2003 Order. For details about registering with or accessing the do-not-call registry, click on the link to our Do-Not-Call Registry page. For ease of reference, the TCPA is available by clicking on TCPA; the Commission's telemarketing rules are available by clicking on Rules.

Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street SW
Washington, DC 20554
Phone: 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322)
TTY: 1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322)
Fax: 1-866-418-0232