New Rules Affecting Voice Blast and Voice Broadcast for Marketers

September 1st marked a dramatic change in the rules for Marketers involved with making voice broadcast or robocalls. In the United States, the FTC has changed their rules for marketers making use of robocalls so that the recipient should have explicitly requested such communications in writing. Fines will be fairly hefty for violators $16,000 per call.

Some of the things that are exempt from this new voice broadcast rule are calls that do not sell a product or service. So, debt collectors calling about unpaid credit card debt, appointment or cancellation reminders and notices as well as political related calls are all allowed under this rule change.

Surveys and calls from charitable organizations are also whitelisted. I personally find the political calls the most annoying because in the days or weeks leading up to an election in a hotly contested area you can be bombarded with literally dozens of calls a day that try your patience and waste your time. I would love to see an easy way to be on a do not call list for political causes of any and all stripes(!)

So, if you're a marketer you will need written permission from customers before making your automated marketing calls or face the $16k per call fines. For more information you might reference the ftc's post on the matter, or consult legal council on how to be in compliance with these new restrictions.