The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) should reject a request to require an automated opt-out mechanism on every call with an artificial or prerecorded message, including those made to cell phones, America’s Credit Unions and other organizations wrote in comments filed with the FCC. Existing rules require a caller to provide an opt-out mechanism when making an artificial or prerecorded telemarketing voice call or making an informational call to a residential line, however the current mechanism is not required for cell phones.
This request would “impair the ability of consumers to receive important information from the companies with which they do business, significantly detract from the customer experience, and —particularly in light of the Commission’s recent Revocation Order—provide little, if any, benefit to consumers,” the comments read.
Financial institutions regularly place calls to provide members with important and often time-critical notifications such as fraud alerts, data breach notifications, low balance and over-limit transaction alerts, and healthcare appointment reminders, the organizations note, and the proposal submitted to the FCC could inadvertently encourage them to opt out of receiving these messages.
America’s Credit Unions engages with the FCC frequently on related issues to ensure credit unions can contact their members.
