I swung by Capitol Hill this morning and wondered why I had to pick my way around all these crispy, brittle snakeskins. And then I remembered: Today the new federal rule for robo-calls takes effect -- the Federal Trade Commission’s attempt at choking off the telemarketing industry.
Instead of sending out automated phone blasts whenever the mood strikes them, telemarketers will now have to get consumer permission first or else face a fine of up to $16,000.
Unfortunately, the new rule exempts “politicians, banks, telephone carriers and most other charitable organizations.”
Gotta love how politicians always seem to carve out an exemption for themselves. Guess this means I’ll be getting more robo-calls from my robo-congressman, who may or may not know that snakes shed their skin to allow for growth and then usually defecate afterwards.
Your heart’s in the right place, FTC. But all robo-callers need to provide an opt-out system, especially politicians and banks. Remember what we were taught in science class? A snake’s new skin has the same patterns and colors as the old one.
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