Technology, Communications & Media

The FCC established a new rule requiring mobile wireless providers to block SMS and MMS text messages purportedly from North American Numbering Plan numbers registered on a reasonable Do-Not-Originate (DNO) list and requiring carriers to designate a point of contact to whom senders may report erroneous blocking issues.

The FTC is increasing its efforts to stop illegal robocalls that originate overseas from reaching Americans’ phones. Project Point of No Entry targets Voice over Internet Protocol service providers that serve as “point of entry” or gateway providers. 

In this month’s Telephone and Texting Compliance News, we report on a rule in an FCC Report and Order requiring mobile wireless providers to block SMS and MMS text messages purportedly from certain numbers registered on a Do-Not-Originate list and requiring carriers to designate a point of contact to receive senders’ reports of erroneous blocking issues. We also cover FTC efforts to stop illegal robocalls originating overseas from reaching Americans’ phones.

On April 25, 2023, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) released an Order and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“Order” and “NPRM”) that seeks to better safeguard U.S. telecommunications networks and infrastructure through changes to the international section 214 authorization process.  In particular, the FCC adopts a one-time collection of foreign ownership information from current international section 214 authorization holders and proposes rules that would require carriers to renew, every 10 years, their international section 214 authority, among other things.  The deadline for responding to the information collection will be at least 30 days following the effective date of the Order, as announced by the Office of Management and Budget, and comments and reply comments on the NPRM will be due 30 days and 60 days, respectively, after Federal Register publication.

The wireless industry has revolutionized the way we connect, from facilitating teleworking, distance learning, and telemedicine, to virtually digitizing almost all other aspects of Americans’ daily lives.  Leading policymakers – federal regulators and legislators – are making it a top priority to ensure that the wireless industry has the tools and resources it needs to keep pace with this evolving landscape.  This blog provides monthly updates on actions by federal regulatory bodies responsible for communications policy and Congressional efforts to support wireless connectivity.  And this month we highlight something that has never occurred in FCC history:  the expiration of the Commission’s spectrum auction authority. 

In this month’s Telephone and Texting Compliance News, we report on the FCC’s Sixth Caller ID Authentication Report and Order, which added a call authentication requirement for the first (non-gateway) intermediate provider in the path of an unauthenticated SIP call, extended Robocall Mitigation Database filing requirements, and increased the Enforcement Bureau’s tools to combat robocalling. We also cover the Industry Traceback Group’s report on its progress, working together with law enforcement, in combatting robocalling in 2022.

Read about the Industry Traceback Group’s recent report on the progress the ITG, working with law enforcement, including the Commission, made against illegal robocalling in 2022.

Read about the FCC’s Sixth Caller ID Authentication Report and Order, which added a call authentication requirement for the first (non-gateway) intermediate provider in the path of an unauthenticated SIP call, extended the Robocall Mitigation Database filing requirements, and increased the Enforcement Bureau’s tools to combat robocalling.

The next-generation of wireless technologies – known as 5G – is expected to revolutionize business and consumer connectivity, offering network speeds that are up to 100 times faster than 4G LTE, reducing latency to nearly zero, and allowing networks to handle 100 times the number of connected devices, enabling the “Internet of Things.”  Leading policymakers – federal regulators and legislators – are making it a top priority to ensure that the wireless industry has the tools it needs to maintain U.S. leadership in commercial 5G deployments.  This blog provides monthly updates on FCC actions and Congressional efforts to win the race to 5G.

In this month’s Telephone and Texting Compliance News, we report on the FCC’s cease-and-desist letter against repeat robocaller OneEye LLC, a bill reintroduced in the US House that would increase robocalling penalties, and Twilio’s move to block mortgage scam robocallers from accessing its platform, plus a petition to the Ninth Circuit requesting an en banc review of a case on the definition of an ATDS, Borden v. E-Financial, LLC.

Read about a petition to the Ninth Circuit requesting an en banc review of Borden v. E-Financial, LLC, which held that dialing numbers from a pre-existing list, even if the pre-existing list is sorted randomly or sequentially, would not qualify as dialing with an ATDS.

The next-generation of wireless technologies – known as 5G – is expected to revolutionize business and consumer connectivity, offering network speeds that are up to 100 times faster than 4G LTE, reducing latency to nearly zero, and allowing networks to handle 100 times the number of connected devices, enabling the “Internet of Things.”  Leading policymakers – federal regulators and legislators – are making it a top priority to ensure that the wireless industry has the tools it needs to maintain U.S. leadership in commercial 5G deployments.  This blog provides monthly updates on FCC actions and Congressional efforts to win the race to 5G.

In this month’s Telephone and Texting Compliance News, we cover the FCC’s first report on STIR/SHAKEN Caller ID authentication framework technologies, its ruling clarifying robocalling consent rules and upholding call limits, and FCC Enforcement Bureau actions against companies involved in mortgage scam robocalling, plus a Third Circuit decision upholding summary judgment in favor of the defendant in a TCPA case involving a one-page fax about a free educational seminar.

The next-generation of wireless technologies – known as 5G – is expected to revolutionize business and consumer connectivity, offering network speeds that are up to 100 times faster than 4G LTE, reducing latency to nearly zero, and allowing networks to handle 100 times the number of connected devices, enabling the “Internet of Things.”  Leading policymakers – federal regulators and legislators – are making it a top priority to ensure that the wireless industry has the tools it needs to maintain U.S. leadership in commercial 5G deployments.  This blog provides monthly updates on FCC actions and Congressional efforts to win the race to 5G.

Read about new FCC deadlines for gateway provider obligations and recent enforcement actions against illegal robocalling. These actions include removing a non-compliant provider from the robocall mitigation database, ordering providers to block a student loan scam calling campaign, and proposing fines for failure to comply with the reassigned numbers database.

In this month’s Telephone and Texting Compliance News, we cover new FCC deadlines for gateway provider obligations and enforcement actions, including removing a non-compliant provider from the robocall mitigation database, ordering providers to block a student loan scam calling campaign, and proposed fines against companies that failed to comply with the reassigned numbers database. We also review Eleventh Circuit decisions halting a TCPA appeal on the basis of standing and rejecting a professional plaintiff’s TCPA claim, plus a Ninth Circuit decision remanding a TCPA case about insurance coverage.

Read about two Eleventh Circuit decisions, one halting a TCPA appeal on the basis of standing and another rejecting a professional plaintiff’s TCPA claim, plus a Ninth Circuit decision remanding a key TCPA case about insurance coverage.

The next-generation of wireless technologies – known as 5G – is expected to revolutionize business and consumer connectivity, offering network speeds that are up to 100 times faster than 4G LTE, reducing latency to nearly zero, and allowing networks to handle 100 times the number of connected devices, enabling the “Internet of Things.”  Leading policymakers – federal regulators and legislators – are making it a top priority to ensure that the wireless industry has the tools it needs to maintain U.S. leadership in commercial 5G deployments.  This blog provides monthly updates on FCC actions and Congressional efforts to win the race to 5G.

In Borden v. E-Financial, LLC, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that an “automatic telephone dialing system” must generate telephone numbers randomly or sequentially under the TCPA's plain text — not dial numbers from a pre-existing list.