DNC

The Federal Trade Commission today announced a final rule extending telemarketing fraud protections to businesses and updating the rule’s recordkeeping requirements in light of developments in technology and the marketplace. The Commission also announced a proposed rule that would provide the agency with significant new tools to combat tech support scams.

• Both actions are part of the Commission’s current review of the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR), which includes the Do Not Call Registry (DNC) rules and provisions banning nearly all telemarketing robocalls to consumers.
• Importantly, the FTC also affirms the TSR’s prohibitions on robocalls using voice cloning technology.

The Current Regulatory Review

Both the final rulemaking and notice of proposed rulemaking announced today stem from the Commission’s regulatory review of the TSR and address public comments received as part of that review. In April 2022, the FTC proposed extending telemarketing protections to businesses and strengthening safeguards against other pernicious telemarking tactics plaguing consumers. The final rule announced today implements updates that:

The Tech Support Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

• The notice of proposed rulemaking announced today proposes amending the TSR to extend its coverage to inbound telemarketing calls involving technical support services.
• The proposed amendment is needed due to the widespread deception and consumer injury caused by tech support scams, including those in which consumers call supposed tech support operations in response to advertising.
• The Commission also is seeking comments on a proposed definition of tech support scams.

• NEW YORK, Feb. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- American Values 2024 (AV24) , the super PAC supporting Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s candidacy for president, responded to the latest DNC attempt to smear Kennedy in Michigan and disenfranchise voters with billboard advertisements running in nine locations throughout the state.
• "President Biden's sinking approval rating and plummeting polling numbers nationally and in key battleground states like Michigan have triggered unprecedented panic in both the Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee," said Tony Lyons, Co-Founder of AV24.
• Precedent speaks volumes.
• "The DNC's FEC complaint, the billboards in Michigan and NY, and the unprecedented and repeated denial of secret service protection to Kennedy, show a pattern of corruption aimed at vilifying Bobby Kennedy while attacking the super PAC's donors," said Lyons.

• NEW YORK, Jan. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Benenson Strategy Group (BSG), the strategic research and polling firm, is excited to announce the promotion of Lindsay Vermeyen and Patrick Toomey to Partner and the appointment of Michael Kulisheck to Managing Director.
• In their new roles as partner, Lindsay and Patrick will lead BSG's independently-run, women- and queer-led boutique Democratic polling operation, Breakthrough Campaigns.
• Breakthrough has an outstanding record helping progressive candidates and issue campaigns win and succeed, including in red states and on tough issues.
• "Patrick and Lindsay have been instrumental in the success of our firm," says Amy Levin, President of Breakthrough Campaigns and Managing Partner at BSG.

• According to the data book, complaints about imposter calls again topped the list, with more than 175,000 received during the fiscal year ending on September 30, 2023, 117,000 of which were robocalls.
• The overall number of complaints continued its decline in FY 2023, down more than 900,000 from FY 2022.
• For every month in the fiscal year, robocalls—defined under FTC regulations as calls delivering a prerecorded message—made up the majority of consumer complaints about DNC violations.
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