WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), who serves as chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, together with Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), today sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai. The letter encourages the commission to continue with a rulemaking that creates and makes available a comprehensive database of reassigned telephone numbers in an effort to provide consumers and businesses with relief from robocalling and robotexts and to provide those calling in good faith a means of avoiding liability for unknowingly violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

Excerpt from the letter to the FCC:

“Periodically, consumers receive unwanted robocalls and robotexts because the previous holder, not the current holder, of the phone number provided consent.  Not only are these calls and texts to reassigned numbers a nuisance to consumers, but they also create liabilities for calling parties because more than one call or text to a reassigned number may be a violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).  Many of our constituents complain about receiving these intrusive and unsolicited calls and texts that violate the rights of privacy and control created by the TCPA.  We have also heard from hospitals, small businesses, and other stakeholders in our states who exercise care in their efforts to contact their patients, customers, or employees, but who nonetheless could face liability under the TCPA because they are alleged to have called reassigned numbers.”

The Commerce Committee exercises jurisdiction over the FCC.

Click here for a copy of the full letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai.