Fw: Robocalls: your new rights!

Help end unwanted robocalls! New rules from the FCC put more power into your hands to stop unwanted telemarketing calls. Check out your new rights below, and if you think they've been violated, let us know. Dear NAT, We asked what was bothering you, and many of you told us your biggest frustration: robocalls! The timing is perfect. Right now, there is a real opportunity for you to silence these annoying calls! New rules that just went into effect from the FCC will put you in better control over who can call you, on both your landline and your wireless device. To help them enforce these new rules, the FCC wants to know more about what you are currently experiencing. Share your robocall experience! Among your new rights: • A telemarketer will have to get your written consent to receive a call or message. You can give your OK for them to call through paper or electronic means – web forms, a telephone keypress, or email. • Robocalls to your home landline are no longer allowed based solely on an 'established business relationship' with you. Simply buying a product, or contacting a business with a question, no longer gives them permission to call you. • Telemarketers who call will now have to let you immediately opt out of receiving additional calls through an automated menu. What can you do right now? Tell us specifics about the robocalls calls you've received – company, product, etc – so we can hold these telemarketers accountable. We can expect this will not be a smooth process, and that many telemarketers may not want to abide by these new rules. Stay tuned, because we will be back to ask for your help to make sure the rules are working, and telemarketers are held to them. Sincerely, Delara Derakhshani, Consumers Union Policy and Action from Consumer Reports Consumers Union, 506 W. 14th Street, Austin, TX 78701