Bill Introduced To Let Robots Call Your Cellphone

Since '91, it's been illegal for telemarketers to use autodialers and other robot-like devices to call your cellphone. Last week, a bill was introduced to change that. While in the past email hoaxes have gone around saying that your cellphone could be opened up to telemarketers, HR 3035 seeks to let businesses contact your cellphone "for informational purposes."

Source

What more can I say? A very anti-consumer bill. Here are some of the supporters:

American Bankers Association
ACA International
Air Transport Association
Consumer Bankers Association
Coalition of Higher Education Assistance Organizations
Edison Electric Institute
Education Finance Council
Financial Services Roundtable
Housing Policy Council
Mortgage Bankers Association
National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO)
National Council of Higher Education Loan Program
Student Loan Servicing Alliance
Student Loan Servicing Alliance Private Loan Committee
The Clearing House
U.S. Chamber of Commerce

I'll let the article sum it up:

If that's the list of supporters, you can be pretty sure it sucks for you.

Here's the actual bill

And a PDF of the letter written by the aforementioned supporters

reply to post by NoArmsJames


The only calls I get that are automated are from political candidates and political parties. I get flooded with them every election. My home phone has been unlisted for ten years and some have my name when they call.

Add them to that list, because they will use it. I'd say 9 out of 10 automated calls I've had are from one Party, the Democrats. I had one on an unlisted office line last week for Obama. That line is not even in a phone book and they knew the company name, so the Obama campaign must have access to the names for unlisted lines. To be fair it was likely a local PAC. I'm registered undeclared, so I get them all.

Ohh nos there goes the Telemarketing industry...wait,, Dont they use computers, Or Tom from India already?...Oh OH Robotic Bill Collectors...Now that will suck... Imagine 20yrs from now you say No I cant pay you and the Robot Mob shows up at your door.... Holy crap Matt Groening was right!!

Originally posted by Blaine91555
reply to post by NoArmsJames

 

The only calls I get that are automated are from political candidates and political parties. I get flooded with them every election. My home phone has been unlisted for ten years and some have my name when they call.

Add them to that list, because they will use it. I'd say 9 out of 10 automated calls I've had are from one Party, the Democrats. I had one on an unlisted office line last week for Obama. That line is not even in a phone book and they knew the company name, so the Obama campaign must have access to the names for unlisted lines. To be fair it was likely a local PAC. I'm registered undeclared, so I get them all.

If I remember correctly those stupid political robo-dials have always been exempted. Annoying as hell. Of this passes then we can start to expect lots of calls from alarm companies, aluminum siding etc... all on our cell phones. Ugh.

Most incoming texts will charge the consumer for the call, usually by docking you minutes. Robo-callers are going to rob you blind.

Why does this not surprise me that it's coming from the House Republicans? How much did the telemarketers bribe them with?

Here's the d-bag that wrote this piece of trash legislation:
Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE2)

One thing is for certain, if you ever questioned whose side Congress was on, the people or the corporations, this handily answers it.

reply to post by Blackmarketeer


Just for a sense of fairness it appears that the co-sponsor is a dem. Towns (D-NY). This is a bi-partisan screwing

I gotta be honest, when I picture my dream threesome it does not include me being screwed by two corporate whores.

I swear to God if I get a 3 a.m. drunk dial, someone is getting a strongly worded letter.

All the effort to get us to own cell phones to make us trackable 24/7. If such passes I become 100% phone-free.