[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 47, Volume 3, Parts 40 to 69]
[Revised as of October 1, 1999]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 47CFR64.1200]
[Page 218-220]
TELECOMMUNICATION
CHAPTER I--FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION--(CONTINUED)
PART 64--MISCELLANEOUS RULES RELATING TO COMMON CARRIERS--Table of Contents
Subpart L--Restrictions on Telephone Solicitation
Sec. 64.1200 Delivery restrictions.
-
(a) No person may:
-
(1) Initiate any telephone call (other than a call made for
emergency purposes or made with the prior express consent of the called
party) using an automatic telephone dialing system or an artificial or
prerecorded voice,
-
(i) To any emergency telephone line, including any 911 line and any
emergency line of a hospital, medical physician or service office,
health care facility, poison control center, or fire protection or law
enforcement agency;
-
(ii) To the telephone line of any guest room or patient room of a
hospital, health care facility, elderly home, or similar establishment;
or
-
(iii) To any telephone number assigned to a paging service, cellular
telephone service, specialized mobile radio service, or other radio
common carrier service, or any service for which the called party is
charged for the call;
-
(2) Initiate any telephone call to any residential telephone line
using an artificial or prerecorded voice to deliver a message without
the prior express consent of the called party, unless the call is
initiated for emergency purposes or is exempted by Sec. 64.1200(c) of
this section.
-
(3) Use a telephone facsimile machine, computer, or other device to
send an unsolicited advertisement to a telephone facsimile machine.
-
(4) Use an automatic telephone dialing system in such a way that two
or more telephone lines of a multi-line business are engaged
simultaneously.
-
(b) For the purpose of Sec. 64.1200(a) of this section, the term
emergency purposes means calls made necessary in any situation affecting
the health and safety of consumers.
-
(c) The term telephone call in Sec. 64.1200(a)(2) of this section
shall not include a call or message by, or on behalf of, a caller:
-
(1) That is not made for a commercial purpose,
-
(2) That is made for a commercial purpose but does not include the
transmission of any unsolicited advertisement,
-
(3) To any person with whom the caller has an established business
relationship at the time the call is made, or
-
(4) Which is a tax-exempt nonprofit organization.
-
(d) All artificial or prerecorded telephone messages delivered by an
automatic telephone dialing system shall:
-
(1) At the beginning of the message, state clearly the identity of
the business, individual, or other entity initiating the call, and
-
(2) During or after the message, state clearly the telephone number
(other than that of the autodialer or prerecorded message player which
placed the call) or address of such business, other entity, or
individual.
-
(e) No person or entity shall initiate any telephone solicitation to
a residential telephone subscriber:
-
(1) Before the hour of 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. (local time at the
called party's location), and
-
(2) Unless such person or entity has instituted procedures for
maintaining a list of persons who do not wish to receive telephone
solicitations made by or on behalf of that person or entity. The
procedures instituted must meet the following minimum standards:
-
(i) Written policy. Persons or entities making telephone
solicitations must have a written policy, available upon demand, for
maintaining a do-not-call list.
-
(ii) Training of personnel engaged in telephone solicitation.
Personnel engaged in any aspect of telephone solicitation must be
informed and trained in the existence and use of the do-not-call list.
-
(iii) Recording, disclosure of do-not-call requests. If a person or
entity making a telephone solicitation (or on whose behalf a
solicitation is made) receives a request from a residential telephone
subscriber not to receive calls from that person or entity, the person
or entity must record the request and place the subscriber's name and
telephone number on the do-not-call list at the time the request is
made. If such requests are recorded or maintained by a party other than
the person or entity on whose behalf the solicitation is made, the
person or entity on whose behalf the solicitation is made will be liable
for any failures to honor the do-not-call request. In order to protect
the consumer's privacy, persons or entities must obtain a consumer's
prior express consent to share or forward the consumer's request not to
be called to a party other than the person or entity on whose behalf a
solicitation is made or an affiliated entity.
-
(iv) Identification of telephone solicitor. A person or entity
making a telephone solicitation must provide the called party with the
name of the individual caller, the name of the person or entity on whose
behalf the call is being made, and a telephone number or address at
which the person or entity may be contacted. If a person or entity makes
a solicitation using an artificial or prerecorded voice message
transmitted by an autodialer, the person or entity must provide a
telephone number other than that of the autodialer or prerecorded
message player which placed the call. The telephone number provided may
not be a 900 number or any other number for which charges exceed local
or long distance transmission charges.
-
(v) Affiliated persons or entities. In the absence of a specific
request by the subscriber to the contrary, a residential subscriber's
do-not-call request shall apply to the particular business entity making
the call (or on whose behalf a call is made), and will not apply to
affiliated entities unless the consumer reasonably would expect them to
be included given the identification of the caller and the product being
advertised.
-
(vi) Maintenance of do-not-call lists. A person or entity making
telephone solicitations must maintain a record of a caller's request not
to receive future telephone solicitations. A do not call request must be
honored for 10 years from the time the request is made.
-
(f) As used in this section:
-
(1) The terms automatic telephone dialing system and autodialer mean
equipment which has the capacity to store or produce telephone numbers
to be called using a random or sequential number generator and to dial
such numbers.
-
(2) The term telephone facsimile machine means equipment which has
the capacity to transcribe text or images, or both, from paper into an
electronic signal and to transmit that signal over a regular telephone
line, or to transcribe text or images (or both) from an electronic
signal received over a regular telephone line onto paper.
-
(3) The term telephone solicitation means the initiation of a
telephone call or message for the purpose of encouraging the purchase or
rental of, or investment in, property, goods, or services, which is
transmitted to any person, but such term does not include a call or
message:
-
(i) To any person with that person's prior express invitation or
permission;
-
(ii) To any person with whom the caller has an established business
relationship; or
-
(iii) By or on behalf of a tax-exempt nonprofit organization.
-
(4) The term established business relationship means a prior or
existing relationship formed by a voluntary two-way communication
between a person or entity and a residential subscriber with or without
an exchange of consideration, on the basis of an inquiry, application,
purchase or transaction by the residential subscriber regarding products
or services offered by such person or entity, which relationship has not
been previously terminated by either party.
-
(5) The term unsolicited advertisement means any material
advertising the commercial availability or quality of any property,
goods, or services which is transmitted to any person without that
person's prior express invitation or permission.
[57 FR 48335, Oct. 23, 1992; 57 FR 53293, Nov. 9, 1992, as amended at 60
FR 42069, Aug. 15, 1995]