Robocalls: Protecting Consumers, Efforts to Eradicate and Regulations

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA)1 regulates robocalls. A robocall, also known as "e;voice broadcasting,"e; is any telephone call that delivers a prerecorded message using an automatic (computerized) telephone dialing system, more commonly referred to as an automatic dialer or "e;autodialer"e;. When the call is answered, the autodialer either connects the call to a live person or plays a prerecorded message. Both are considered robocalls. Some robocalls use personalized audio messages to simulate an actual personal phone call. As discussed in more detail below (in "e;Classification of Telemarketing Calls"e;), the TCPA prohibits robocalls to: consumers' traditional landline numbers; consumers' Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) landline numbers; and all mobile numbers. Robocalls to business landlines are not covered by the TCPA.