TCPA Hurts Monitoring Companies More Than it Helps Prevent Robocalls
The definition of “autodialer” can make or break the impact felt by the alarm monitoring industry.
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA) restricts telephone solicitations (i.e., telemarketing) and the use of automated telephone equipment. The TCPA also limits the use of automatic dialing systems, artificial or prerecorded voice messages, SMS text messages, and fax machines and specifies several technical requirements for fax machines, autodialers, and voice messaging systems — principally with provisions requiring identification and contact information of the entity using the device to be contained in the message.
While meant to limit solicitors, monitoring companies are swept under its restrictions based on the industry’s need to call subscribers or agents of subscribers. The robocall issue is by far the greatest complaint to the FCC and Congress.