Today at 11:00 a.m., the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology will be holding a hearing entitled “Modernizing the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.”  The purpose of the hearing is for the Subcommittee to “consider the challenges faced by consumers and companies in a world where technology and consumer behavior may have outpaced the language of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991.”

The background memo for the hearing notes that “[t]he TCPA fails American consumers on two fronts: it fails to stop the flow of unwanted calls, and it discourages American companies from providing information to their customers through calls and texts. As a result, because the law has failed to keep pace with technology and society, companies are faced with having to choose between providing the services and notices consumers want with the threat of litigation.” Issues to be discussed include empowering consumers, modernizing definitions for 20th century communications, and clarifying consent.

Witnesses scheduled to testify at the hearing are Shaun W. Mock from Snapping Shoals Electric Membership Corporation, Richard D. Shockey from Shockey Consulting, Michelle Turano from WellCare Health Plans, Inc., and Spencer W. Waller from Loyola University Chicago.

The hearing webcast is available here.