Commissioner Nikki Fried Applauds U.S. Supreme Court’s Robocall Ruling

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Jul 7, 2020

Tallahassee, Fla. – Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a law that allowed debt collectors to make robocalls to cell phones. Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) offered the following statement:

“This ruling is a victory for consumers who have spoken loudly that absolutely nobody wants cellphone robocalls,” said Commissioner Fried. “While federal law has long prohibited most robocalls to cellphones, the Supreme Court wisely ended the exception for debt collectors. With this decision, we are hopeful that both consumer complaints and unwanted calls to Floridians will be reduced.”

As Florida’s clearinghouse for consumer complaints, FDACS handles more than 400,000 consumer inquiries and complaints each year, including 20,886 complaints on unsolicited communications. Nationally, robocalls lead to over 5 million annual consumer complaints and millions in fines for those behind robocalls. As the state agency regulating telemarketing, FDACS has taken action against 16 companies in the past year, leading to $954,000 in fines for Do Not Call violations such as robocalls.

“While the Supreme Court has struck down important exceptions on robocalls, we strongly encourage consumers to sign up for our Florida Do Not Call List,” said Deputy Agriculture Commissioner Mary Barzee Flores, who oversees the FDACS Division of Consumer Services. “If Florida consumers receive unwanted or illegal robocalls, including robocalls selling goods and services, they should file a complaint with us at 1-800-HELP-FLA, 1-800-FL-AYUDA in Spanish, or FloridaConsumerHelp.com. Consumers should gather as much information as possible about the call, so that we can identify and investigate those responsible.”

Unsolicited communications is the top category of consumer complaints received by FDACS, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Federal Communications Commission.

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