TCPALaw - Slashdot User

Submission + - Debt Collectors Sneaking Robocall Exemptions Into Budget Bill

Submitted by TCPALaw on Tuesday October 27, 2015 @09:31PM

TCPALaw writes: Hate robocalls? In July, the FCC tightened the rules regarding robocalls to cell phones, especially debt collection calls (in particular limiting calls to wrong numbers or to anyone who is not the debtor). Now the debt collection industry is getting their revenge by sneaking in a massive exemption (see section 301 on page 10 to the PDF) to the the FCC's rules that would expressly permit debt collection robocalls to cell phones (and even collect calls!) for student loans, mortgages, taxes, and any other debt owed or guaranteed by the government. Time to make a few phone calls myself to some senators. The Senate switchboard is (202) 224-3121 or go to senate.gov to find the number for your senators. This may come up for a vote in 24 hours or less.

Submission + - Text spammer wants FCC to declare spam filters illegal. 2

Submitted by TCPALaw on Tuesday December 11, 2012 @06:34PM

TCPALaw writes: ccAdvertising, a company purported to have “a long, long, long history of pumping spam out of every telecommunications orifice, and even boasting of voter suppression” has asked the FCC to declare spam filters illegal. Citing Free Speech rights, the company claims that wireless carriers should be prohibited from employing spam filters that might block ccAdvertising’s political spam. Without stating it explicitly, the filing implies that network neutrality must apply to spam, so the FCC must therefore prohibit spam filters (unless political spam is whitelisted). In an earlier filing, the company suggests it is proper that recipients "bear some cost" of unsolicited political speech sent to their cell phones.
The public can file comments with the FCC on ccAdvertising’s filing here.

Submission + - Congress may permit robot calls to cell phones. (gpo.gov) 2

Submitted by TCPALaw on Wednesday September 28, 2011 @10:51PM

TCPALaw writes: While many hoaxes have circulated in the past about cell phone numbers being opened up to telemarketers, it now may actually happen. A bill, HR 3035, has been introduced in Congress, that would create numerous exceptions to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which banned autodialed and prerecorded robot calls to cell phone numbers. If passed, HR 3035 would permit a wide
range of autodialed and prerecorded calls to cell phones that are currently prohibited, and would preempt practically all state laws providing similar protections. This is being applauded by debt collectors and banks... as if the bailouts weren't enough, now they get to make you pay for their calls to you.

Comment Re:Article Text (Score 1) 403

by TCPALaw on Monday October 30, 2006 @07:29PM (#16650707) Attached to: How MythTV Detects and Flags Commercials

A few years ago, while in college, the old tv in the student lounge had a problem where the pic was either too small, or shifted down on the screen enough (bad vert. hold) to see all the little timing bars/blocks at the top of the frame. I could see some were clearly binary counters on the left, but also there was a particular block on the right that would flash when a commercial was about to start, then go solid while the commercial played, and then go off when the program returned. Since my TV now doesn't have vert. hold adjustment, I can't play with my TV to see if it still does this... does anyone know? (BTW, IIRC, these were over-air network stations... not cable, so they were probably imbeded from the network to signal to the local stations, so may not be relevant in the world of cable.)

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