All said they thought they were giving to a charity. Add 64.1204 to subpart L to read as follows: (a) Any private entity may submit to the Enforcement Bureau information related to a call made or a text message sent that the private entity has reason to believe was in violation of 64.1200(a) or 47 U.S.C. At Politicause, for instance, some said they initially were told to say donations would be used to help buy new police and fire equipment. Lastly, we delegate authority to the Bureau to make further decisions about administration of the portal. 801(a)(1)(A). The Republican Attorneys General Association raised more than $18 million in 2020 from several top corporations, including Pepsi, Microsoft, JPMorgan Chase and Comcast, the parent company of NBC News. A JPMorgan spokesperson said its political action committee donated $25,000 to the attorneys general group and none of it went to the Rule of Law Defense Fund. [FR Doc. Like many such telemarketing centers tucked away in strip malls or office parks, it offered no clues to what went on inside. An official website of the United States government. Additional technical issues may arise in the future, and those decisions can be made by the Bureau. 20-374, FCC-21-75, adopted and released on June 17, 2021. We amend our rules to establish a streamlined process for private entities to submit information about violations of Sections 227(b) and 227(e) of the Act to the Commission. The "Committee for Police Officer's Defense" (CPOD) was configured to help police officers fight against the continuing "War on Cops" by taking a varied political stance against politicians, activist judges, prosecutors, district attorneys and a host of others who try to bring police officers down by any means. Reuters gains rare access into the world of fundraising for these charitable-sounding political action committees, a tiny but profitable niche in the U.S. telemarketing industry. There should be more transparency on this to protect consumers, he said. Reuters interviewed a dozen donors to PACs. They said to pitch it like it was a charity but as quietly and quickly as you can, slip in that it was a PAC, said Lefler, who worked at TPFE until March. A spokesperson for the Republican Attorneys General Association did not address questions about the robocall but sought to distance the organization from the event. that agencies use to create their documents. Few other top officers at these fundraising firms and PACS would speak to Reuters on the record. by the Foreign Assets Control Office Our past robocall enforcement actions have relied extensively upon information from private entities. documents in the last year. Lisa Cavazuti is an investigative reporter for the NBC News Investigative Unit. ), send an email to after OMB completes its review, and directs the Enforcement Bureau to cause 64.1204 and 64.1606 to be revised accordingly. It will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review under section 3507(d) of the PRA. Zeitlin did not respond to questions about this issue. Robocalls and the Do Not Call Registry. documents in the last year, 86 The fundraisers later went to work for PACs under the names Politicause and Pledge Assistance, both registered in Wyoming, which requires little disclosure from corporations. Document Drafting Handbook The TRACED Act directs the Commission no later than June 30, 2021 to prescribe regulations to establish a process that streamlines the ways in which a private entity may voluntarily share with the Commission information relating to violations of section 227(b) or 227(e) of the Communications Act. Counts are subject to sampling, reprocessing and revision (up or down) throughout the day. If an individual consumer mistakenly files a complaint with the new portal, the Bureau will forward the complaint to the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau. Police officers defense back. They called 4 times in one day. Callers told Reuters they easily made the switch, working in the same buildings, for the same bosses, using similar scripts. 1. 10. In recent years, some telemarketers have used technology to bombard consumers with hundreds of millions of prerecorded calls that are often unwanted and frequently deceptive. In addition, we note that pursuant to the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002, we previously sought specific comment on how the Commission might further reduce the information collection burden for small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees. Use of the portal is completely voluntary and we impose no new requirements on small businesses. The site is secure. The Federal Trade Commission, which is responsible for policing telemarketing, generally has no jurisdiction over political fundraising, said Lois Greisman, an associate director in charge of the agencys marketing practices division. While acknowledging that every industry has its bad apples,he wrote: To this day it strikes me as odd that an industry that has over the years hired hundreds of thousands of people (perhaps millions), many of whom had trouble holding down more traditional day jobs, would become such a punching bag for the government and the media.. documents in the last year, 1411 26. They often are set up as super PACs, groups which in recent years have been empowered by the courts to raise and spend money in unlimited amounts, with little regulation. Lina M. Khan was sworn in as Chair of the Federal Trade Commission on June 15, 2021. 13. For example, in two enforcement actions, a medical paging company was a key source; it informed the Bureau that the paging company's phone lines were being bombarded by spoofed robocalls. 16. Callers said they did so quickly and proudly, hoping people wouldnt catch on. The portal is available for use by private entities that wish to submit information about suspected robocall or spoofing violations. (b) For the purposes of this section, the term private entity shall mean any entity other than a natural individual person or a public entity. Two of the fundraising companies identified by Reuters employed jail inmates and ex-cons as telemarketers, according to interviews in Alabama with several former employees, as well as court records. One FAQ, given to callers at Politicause and reviewed by Reuters, shaped the fundraising pitch for asuper PAC called the American Coalition for Injured Veterans. documents in the last year, 35 from 36 agencies. <25 Employees . As his office pursued the money trail in the Bass investigation, for instance, Friedman said it came across an organization called Market Process Group, one of the eight fundraisers examined by Reuters. 03/03/2023, 207 8. We agree with the commenters and therefore exclude individual natural persons from the definition of private entity. 15. What a racket, oh my God., On his website, Zeitlin said his firms revenue which he described as 80% to 90% of the proceeds may seem high but actually is standard for the industry and is needed to offset high costs for technology and intensive time-consuming labor.. on NARA's archives.gov. The portal will collect contact information of the reporting entity, information about the suspected illegal robocall, and a description of the robocall incident. NPRM on Jul 10, 2020, 08:10 ET. 9. He said only that it was based in Florida; Reuters could not determine the specific jurisdiction. publication in the future. Committee type: Super PAC (Independent Expenditure-Only) Committee designation: Unauthorized. Most were super PACs, but several were traditional political action committees, which have contribution limits. IE 11 is not supported. Learn more here. We recognize that consumers might mistakenly file complaints through the new streamlined process rather than the existing consumer complaint process. 5. 503, 132 Stat 348, 1091. 227(b). March 24, 2017 Reporters visited the center last summer, though it has since closed. It also has roots in charity fundraising. Efforts to pass anti-robocall legislation have stalled for years, but the agreement announced Friday increases the odds that Congress will send the White House a bill before 2020. Starting with a group of eight fundraising operations that earned at least a half-million dollars each during this period, Reuters traced interconnections among them and 31 PACs. The Commission will publish a document in the The Federal Election Commission has jurisdiction over political spending but neither the agency nor Congress has acted on recommendations in 2016 by some of its own members to strengthen fraud protections and disclosure requirements as part of campaign law. documents in the last year, 122 The Commission has a well-established process for individual consumers to submit complaints about unwanted and suspected illegal robocalls and spoofed calls: The Commission's informal consumer complaint process, which the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau oversees. The Cherokee Nation Businesses LLC, which donated $150,000 in 2020, said it has requested an immediate refund of its sponsorship to the Republican Attorneys General Association, and the organization obliged. An arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association, a national group representing the top law enforcement officers in their states, sent out robocalls encouraging people to march to the U.S. Capitol the day before the building was stormed by a pro-Trump mob. Timely and thorough information from private entities is crucial to enable the Commission to mitigate illegal robocall incidents and bring swift enforcement actions. Box 663 Butler, WI 53007 Visit Website (833) 878-5783 Average of 30. are amended Mailing address: 8228 FAWN MEADOW AVE LAS VEGAS, NV 89149. We agree with commenters that including individuals within the definition of private entity would undermine the intent of the statute to streamline information collection about robocalls and spoofed calls, and would create confusion for consumers about whether to use the existing informal complaint process or the new portal, or both. The documents posted on this site are XML renditions of published Federal In the Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act (TRACED Act), Congress directed the Commission to establish regulations to create a process that "streamlines the ways in which a private entity may voluntarily share with the Commission information relating to" a call or text message that violates . No Impact on Informal Consumer Complaint Process. We are committed to protecting and defending law enforcement against progressive politicians, judges, and other officials that encourage the war on cops. The workers said Politicause managers eventually reined in that practice, requiring them to instead say that at least 10% went to the cause. Neither he nor other officials at his company returned requests for comment. Although the portal will not reject submissions that fail to include the above information, such failure will make it more difficult for the Bureau to investigate fully and take appropriate enforcement action. We are appalled and condemn these actions in the strongest possible terms and have communicated that to RAGA. Many companies that donated to the Republican Attorneys General Association also gave to the Democratic Party equivalent. we proposed to include individuals in the definition of private entity but sought comment on the proposed interpretation, and whether there was a basis for a different interpretation of the term. What is wrong with giving somebody a second chance? Zeitlin responded when Reuters asked about his hiring practices. The call centers in Alabama, along with others in Nevada, New Jersey, and Florida, raise money on behalf of scam PACs, slang among criticsfor political action committees that purport to support worthy causes but in reality hand over little of the money for political or charitable purposes. documents in the last year, by the Coast Guard This PDF is 727-351-8757 "Committee for Police Officer Defense" illegal-telemarketing, likely a SCAM- this guy will call you daily, weekends, nights too, over and over from ever changing different numbers & using different fund names. documents in the last year, 981 Start Printed Page 52841 Baker said his employees never try to dupe donors and that he cant control what his clients, the PACs, do with the money he raises. James Dellinger, 34, said he and other callers got in the door with a remarkable qualification they were in jail. that the Commission We had no knowledge of RAGAs association with the Rule of Law fund or any connection in the January 6 insurrectionists storm on the U.S. Capitol, spokesperson Brandon Scott said in a statement. 14. For further information, contact Daniel Stepanicich, Attorney, Telecommunications Consumers Division, Enforcement Bureau, at (202) 418-7451 or If you are using public inspection listings for legal research, you In addition, it serves as a valuable clearinghouse for the Commission to identify trends and activities that are negatively affecting consumers. Private entities and consumers who wish to submit information or complaints about robocalls will be directed on the FCC website to the appropriate intake process for their situationthe new portal for private entities or the existing informal consumer complaint process for consumers. Federal election laws were designed to prevent corruption, he said, not to protect consumers.. fcc504@fcc.gov POLICE OFFICERS DEFENSE ALLIANCE PAC. Congress did not define private entity in the TRACED Act. Victor J. Until the ACFR grants it official status, the XML documents in the last year, 513 154(i), 154(j), and 227, and section 10(a) of the Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act, Public Law 116-105, 133 Stat. While every effort has been made to ensure that A web of new political action committees raised nearly $6 million in recent months under the guise of supporting police, veterans and . I have directed an internal review of this matter.. Instead, the new portal will be integrated with, but distinct from, the existing consumer complaint process. Some of the workers for TPFE also had felony convictions, according to several former callers and court records. Coffee is for Closers Only, read another. Quoting from its website, the "Committee for Police Officers' Defense is a 527 Committee designed to seek out radical prosecutors, judges and district attorneys." Another organization is. Federal Register In a small Alabama town at the edge of the Talladega National Forest, next to a Chinese restaurant, stands a shop with mirrored windows and no signs. shall send It wouldve been nice to know that my money was going to a PAC, not a charity, and that it wasnt going to actually help police and firefighters directly.. legal research should verify their results against an official edition of Baker said he founded Salt Lake City fundraising firm American Public Resource because he hoped to support worthy goals like helping veterans.The firm was paid nearly $3 million from 2017 through mid-2019 for its work raising money for PACS that spent anywhere from 0% to 7% on their promoted causes. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. All persons are required to submit truthful and accurate statements to the Commission. Cherokee Nation Businesses does not condone these actions and strongly condemns the insurrectionists and all those who instigated the disruption of the federal government through their words and actions.. Those calls used a recording of Trump's . We have been assured by RAGA that none of our contributions to RAGA were given to the Rule of Law Defense Fund., In a statement, Comcast said: "We have long supported Democratic and Republican associations of attorneys general. The President of the United States communicates information on holidays, commemorations, special observances, trade, and policy through Proclamations. In interviews, a dozen former employees of Politicause and Zeitlins TPFE described techniques they used to wrangle donations, leaving contributors with the impression they were giving to good causes. Compliance with the requirements of that information collection will not be required until after approval by the Office of Management and Budget. 2021-14711 Filed 9-22-21; 8:45 am], updated on 4:15 PM on Friday, March 3, 2023, updated on 8:45 AM on Friday, March 3, 2023, 105 documents Information about this document as published in the Federal Register. The Commission vigorously enforces violations of section 227.
