Newsroom

NAFCU Director of Regulatory Affairs Ann Kossachev is set to speak on a panel today to discuss industry perspectives on the implementation of the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act (TRACED Act). The TRACED Act, which was signed into law late last year, expands the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) enforcement authority over violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).

The panel is part of a CLE hosted by the Federal Communications Bar Association to provide an overview of the TRACED Act and its implementation. Kossachev will be joined by representatives from the NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association, USTelecom-The Broadband Association, and the CTIA.

Under the TRACED Act, voice services providers are required to authenticate and block illegal robocalls. Commenting on the bill's passage, NAFCU Vice President of Legislative Affairs Brad Thaler shared the association's support of Congress's efforts to eliminate illegal robocalls; however, he stressed the importance of ensuring legitimate callers, such as credit unions, are protected.

Additionally, NAFCU reiterated concerns about the negative effects of current rules in place to combat illegal robocalls in a letter to the FCC in response to a notice and request for comment about the implementation and effectiveness of call blocking measures. The agency issued a Declaratory Order and Notice to allow call blocking in June 2019. Earlier this month, NAFCU joined with more than a dozen other trade groups and stakeholders to ask the FCC to clarify the definition of autodialer under the TCPA.

The coalition previously petitioned the FCC for clarification following an appeals court's decision that invalidated the FCC's autodialer definition.

The association has actively worked with the FCC on efforts to modernize the TCPA for several years and will continue to work with the agency to improve its call blocking initiatives, and monitor the landscape as the TRACED Act is implemented.