WASHINGTON—CUNA staff outlined some of the “onerous” requirements of the July 2015 Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) order in a meeting this week with the staff of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai.
CUNA said it outlined during the meeting how these requirements are making it difficult for credit unions of all sizes to communicate with members on their cellphone and via text message.
CUNA noted the meeting is a continuation of its efforts to push for relief for credit unions from TCPA order, which has made it difficult to be in communication with members, and has exposed credit union to potential frivolous class action litigation, the trade association stated.
During this week’s meeting, CUNA said it highlighted problems surrounding:
- The overly broad definition of what is considered an autodialer
- Unclear guidance about how a consumer can revoke consent
- Unclear guidance about calling reassigned numbers
- Problems with requiring free-to-end user calls
CUNA highlighted the different structure of credit unions, including member-ownership, and how class action litigation results in members essentially suing themselves.
CUNA also discussed how consumers are harmed by the guidance, which has led to members not receiving information they want and need and talked about how other regulators have actually encouraged credit unions to be in more frequent communication with consumers.