Marty Stern–the immensely talented and superbly-well-connected head of Womble Bond Dickinson’s Communications Technology and Media team in D.C.–joined the Ramble podcast this week (as a stand-in for Jay Edelson who could not make his scheduled appearance.) Marty’s team advocates in front of the FCC all the time. He “knows” the Commissioners and advocates before them regularly on the TCPA and beyond.

Boy oh boy did he have a lot to say about the TCPA. This was our most wild and raucous interview yet and you’ll love it.

Before we get to the interview, however, the team breaks down Dominguez and Carpenter as well as Senator Markey’s letter to the FCC. We also talk about the copycat TCPA podcast out there. And we have an esoteric discussion about the nature of privacy rights infringed by phone calls under the TCPA.

Listen to the podcast to learn:

1. What privacy rights can be invaded by phone calls to your phone when the government has the right to obtain a list of numbers dialed from your phone?
2. What is the fix to the recycled number problem under the TCPA in Marty’s view?
3. What happened when the Czar went out to Washington DC to try to convince the FCC to adopt the phrase “expected recipient” for “called party” in the TCPA?
4. Did the FCC double-cross industry and trick them into providing information to develop a “gold standard” on recycled numbers by promising a TCPA safe harbor that it never delivered?
5. What are the chances of Stopping Bad Robocalls Act passing according to Marty?
6. Is the Act really DOA, DOA, DOA?
7. Does President Trump listen to the Ramble podcast?
8. What is the Czar’s predictions on the FCC adopting a rule requiring actual “usage” of automated technology in connection with calls subject to the TCPA?

Also, hear the Czar embarrass himself asking about the CTM softball team that doesn’t exist and YOU MUST listen at the 54:47 mark for the greatest thing that has ever happened in the history of audio recording. I’m serious. Have fun folks.