FCC Commands Avid Telecom to Cease Automated Calls Concerning Health Insurance
Avid Telecom, the company that has been sued by almost all Attorneys General in the US for alleged robocall activities, has received a cease-and-desist letter from the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC has found that the company is apparently originating illegal robocall traffic on behalf of its clients. The commission collaborated with USTelecom’s Industry Traceback Group to investigate prerecorded telemarketing calls related to health insurance that state attorneys general identified as robocalls made without consent.
Apparently their investigation determined that Avid had initiated the calls. When Avid was notified of the calls, it told the tracing team that its customer obtained consent through participating sites, but the FCC explained in its letter that the customer “failed to provide adequate notices to obtain consent.” In other words, it didn’t tell people that their consent would authorize the caller to “deliver advertisements or telemarketing messages using automated dialing or an artificial or pre-recorded voice.” In some cases, the client claimed to have called people even though they withdrew their consent.
The FCC has outlined the steps Avid needs to take to address the issue, starting with investigating the detected traffic. It must then take steps to prevent new and existing customers from using its network to make illegal calls. Within 48 hours of receiving the letter, Avid must update the FCC on the steps it has taken to reduce robocalls from the network. It must then notify the Commission of the security measures it has implemented to prevent its customers from using its network for robocalls. The FCC warned that if Avid does not comply, downstream voice service providers may permanently block all Avid traffic.
In late May, attorneys general in 48 states filed suit against an Arizona-based VoIP provider, accusing it of originating more than 7.5 billion calls to people on the National Do Not Call Registry. According to the lawsuit, Avid spoofed phone numbers and called as if they were from government agencies, law enforcement and companies like Amazon. The Minister of Justice is asking the court to grant Avid an injunction against making robocalls and to oblige the company to pay damages and compensation to the people it called illegally.
