Navigating FCC's Latest Rules: A Quick Guide To Compliance

In late 2023, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) adopted significant changes to its Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) regulations. The purpose of the changes was to address escalating consumer threats caused by scam robocalls and robotexts.

The FCC created new obligations for sellers/businesses that utilize text messaging and it imposed new requirements for mobile phone carriers. Most significantly, the manner in which (consumer) consent (to be contacted) is acquired has been revised. These revisions will have a profound effect on how third-party websites obtain consumer consent, and sellers/marketers will be accountable to strictly comply.

In recent years, consumers have realized an overwhelming increase of unwanted and illegal calls and text messages, which often are directly linked to scams and phishing, but also can be a source of malware delivered to unsuspecting consumers. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reports that text messaging scams