CFA, Consumer Action, Consumer Reports, the National Consumer Law Center, the National Association of Consumer Advocates, Public Knowledge, and U.S. PIRG urged the Federal Communications Commission to reject a petition from the P2P Alliance to “clarify” that P2P text messages are not covered by the legal restrictions on calls to cell phones.
The Alliance argued that this texting technology enables companies, nonprofits and others to send messages to individuals with which they have relationships. The consumer groups said, “Not so fast!” If these messages are sent using automated dialing systems, they fall under the law and can’t be sent without prior express consent of the recipients.