ann-h / pexelsThere’s never a dull moment in the ARM industry — even on a short week heading into a holiday. Staying on top of it all is a challenging endeavor. That’s where insideARM’s weekly recap comes in. Our weekly recap of top stories will give you the news we found most interesting last week and more importantly- why we think it’s relevant. Last week we brought you news about the FTC seeking to banish a business from debt collection and a SCOTUS decision that may usher in TCPA chaos.
On Tuesday we published an article from Ballard Spahr about the FTC’s push to permanently ban a company from the debt collection business. The acts alleged by the FTC are egregious and potentially criminal, so the remedy sought is no surprise. The bigger takeaway here is less about this story and more about why we continue to let criminals who chose debt collection as their method of crime continue to call themselves debt collectors. Why do we allow regulatory agencies to do so? And why do we do it ourselves? Shouldn’t we be screaming from the rooftops that attempting to collect fake debts is a crime and not the actions of an actual debt collector? Allowing nefarious actors to be referred to as “debt collectors” and thus lumped in with legitimate debt collectors, confuses consumers and harms the industry as a whole. We have to do better, and we should demand regulatory agencies do better, too.
On Wednesday we brought you a breakdown from Troutman Pepper Locke of a recent SCOTUS decision holding courts are not bound by the FCC’s interpretation of the TCPA. This decision has the potential to upend how we currently think about the TCPA, especially when it comes to how modern technology fits into the 1991 law. From cell phones to text messages, to AI, to the definition of consent, the effects of this ruling may go far. Though all of the consequences of this decision are not yet known, this article highlights the stand outs and is a must read for everyone in the ARM industry.
Have a question about how your company should react to the news above? We have a group for that! The weekly peer call hosted by insideARM’s Research Assistant is the perfect place to ask a question and get advice from industry colleagues who are facing the same challenges you are. Not sure if it is for you? Try it on for size with our 1-month free trial. Click here to learn more!
