Blocking unwanted robocalls while allowing credit unions to inform members

Addressing the need to protect consumers from unwanted robocalls and texts while also allowing credit unions to contact members with important information was the focus of a meeting between the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and America’s Credit Unions and other organizations Wednesday.

Head of Regulatory Advocacy James Akin urged FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty’s office to address flaws in the planned revocation of consent rules under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).

In the meeting Akin noted that America’s Credit Unions seeks to ensure that important and often time-sensitive calls and text messages that members place can be completed while also combatting criminals who attempt to defraud consumers by impersonating members through illegally spoofed text messages and calls.

A section of the FCC’s 2024 TCPA order revokes consent for all types of future robocalls or robotexts if a consumer opts out of only one kind. This means if a credit union member responds STOP to a marketing text, that will stop all other messages, including fraud alerts, low balance alerts, and other time-sensitive alerts. It also allows non-standard terms to revoke consent, rather than only accepting standard terms such as “stop,” “cancel,” or “unsubscribe.”

Credit unions’ successful advocacy efforts secured a delay in implementing the TCPA change until April 2026. The meeting is part of America’s Credit Unions ongoing efforts to obtain a rescission of the “revoke all” rule and prohibit the use of non-standard terms to revoke consent through text messages.

The organization has met with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s staff, as well as Commissioner Anna Gomez and former Commissioner Geoffrey Starks on the subject, as well as agency staff on multiple occasions, and will continue to engage with the agency.