Cleaning House: FCC Moves to Scrap Outdated Call Rules (And Some New Ones)
In a striking bit of self-reflection, the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) latest draft order includes two blunt sections: “Eliminating Outdated Rules” and “More Recent Rules That Might Harm Consumers.” Together, they signal a long overdue housecleaning of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), parts of which date back to the 1990s.
Out with the Old: FCC Seeks to Retire 1990s-Era TCPA Rules
The Commission proposes to simplify or eliminate certain rules that no longer make sense in 2025. Under review:
Call abandonment rules that prohibit disconnecting unanswered telemarketing calls before 15 seconds or four rings and limit abandoned calls to three percent of total calls. The FCC believes these may no longer be necessary because modern dialing systems have become more efficient.
Company-specific “do-not-call” rules requiring businesses to record individual opt-out requests, which the FCC says may be redundant now that the National Do-Not-Call (DNC) Registry and newer rules offer broader protection.
Artificial and prerecorded voice caller ID rules that require a number “other than a 900 number” where consumers can return calls. The FCC proposes updating this rule to reflect the end of “local versus long-distance” calling costs and to simply require that callers identify themselves with a valid phone number.
When Good Intentions Go Bad
The FCC also concedes that some of its newer efforts may be overprotecting consumers, sometimes at their expense. Under “More Recent Rules That Might Harm Consumers,” the Commission proposes to:
Revise consent-revocation rules. The FCC suggests deleting the requirement that a single opt-out request must apply to all future calls and texts from that business, arguing that it limits consumers’ ability to receive wanted communications, such as from healthcare providers, banks, or employers with multiple divisions.
Clarify reasonable-means standards. The agency seeks comment on whether callers should be allowed to designate specific methods for revoking consent, rather than being required to honor any “reasonable means” of revocation.
Revisit fraud-alert call limitations. The FCC proposes eliminating restrictions that allow banks to send fraud-alert calls only to numbers provided directly by the customer, noting that such limits could block critical financial alerts.
These adjustments reflect the Commission’s acknowledgment that recent rules may have gone too far in restricting legitimate business communication, potentially depriving consumers of useful information and increasing confusion.
Other Key Proposals
Beyond the rule cleanup, the FCC’s draft also proposes new requirements for caller ID and authentication. The agency seeks to ensure that consumers can see when a call originates outside the United States, require carriers to transmit verified caller ID, and strengthen prohibitions on spoofing U.S. numbers from abroad.
The FCC is seeking public comment on which rules to repeal or revise and how to balance consumer protection with call reliability. Comments will be due approximately 30 days after Federal Register publication, with reply comments 30 days after that. If you’d like us to assist in commenting, reach out.