FCC Announces Effective Date For Mobile Phone "Robocall" Written Consent Requirement

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced October 16, 2013, as the effective date for its new rules requiring companies to obtain prior express written consent from consumers before calling them with prerecorded telemarketing "robocalls" or before using an autodialer to call their wireless numbers with telemarketing messages.

The FCC also announced January 14, 2013, as the effective date for its new rule requiring that prerecorded telemarketing messages must include an automated op-out mechanism. November 15, 2012, was set as the effective date for the new rule matching FCC rules on measurement of the abandoned call rate with changes adopted by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2008 and requiring the recorded message played for an abandoned call to include an automated opt-out mechanism.