801(a)(1)(A). OMB, the general public, and other Federal agencies will be invited to comment on the new or modified information collection requirements contained in this proceeding. In 2018, the Federal Trade Commission sued Zeitlin for allegedly deceptive practices in charity fundraising, but the case has been suspended because a grand jury was investigating, according to court documents. People are getting ripped off, Weintraub said in an interview. A spokesperson for Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, the chairman of the Republican Attorneys General Association, said he had no knowledge or involvement in this decision., Attorney General Carr has been working diligently to determine how this situation occurred and ensure that it does not happen again, said spokesperson Katie Byrd. The portal is available for use by private entities that wish to submit information about suspected robocall or spoofing violations. In the Timely and thorough information from private entities is crucial to enable the Commission to mitigate illegal robocall incidents and bring swift enforcement actions. A week later, Armstrong said, he was rehired to help raise money for political action committees. Find the resources you need to understand how consumer protection law impacts your business. Compliance with the requirements of that information collection will not be required until after approval by the Office of Management and Budget. the material on FederalRegister.gov is accurately displayed, consistent with 17. The FTC declined to comment. 727-351-8757 - Committee For Police Officer's Defense - CallerCenter 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. Sections 64.1204(a) and 64.1606(a) contain new or modified information collection requirements that require review by OMB under the PRA. The Public Inspection page may also as set forth in Appendix A. documents in the last year. Zeitlin did not respond to questions about this issue. 562-512-7043 | 15625127043 - Phone Scam Alert! - Nomorobo a copy of this Report and Order Rulemaking, including the Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis, to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration. The President of the United States communicates information on holidays, commemorations, special observances, trade, and policy through Proclamations. (k) Perform such other functions as may be assigned or referred to it by the Commission. Listen Transcript Hello, good evening. 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. The Better Business Bureau says if anyone calls or knocks asking you to help the police, the best thing you can do is ask them for information before you agree to donate. Stop robocalls with Nomorobo How do I know you are telling the truth or the people who talked to you are telling the truth? he said. 2. Mission | Committee for Police Officers Defense 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. headings within the legal text of Federal Register documents. 6. In addition, public entities often contact Enforcement Bureau staff directly about robocalling and spoofing matters. FAIRFAX, Va., July 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Committee for Police Officers' Defense, the political arm of Police Officers' Defense Coalition, recently launched a . 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 prohibitions regarding robocalls or spoofing set forth section 227(b) and 227(e) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended. fcc504@fcc.gov I had breast cancer, so they knew how to get me, she said. This new portal will not affect the process by which a consumer submits an informal complaint about a robocall or spoofed call, using the long-standing process located on the Commission's homepage. Accordingly, House, Senate announce agreement on anti-robocall bill Together Politicause and Pledge Assistance earned close to $20 million between January 2017 through mid-2019 raising money for PACS, campaign finance records show. that, pursuant to 1.4(b)(1) and 1.427(a) of the Commission's rules, 47 CFR 1.4(b)(1), 1.427(a), this Report and Order and the amendments to parts 0 and 64 of the Commission's rules, as set forth in should verify the contents of the documents against a final, official These can be useful To the extent allowed by the Privacy Act of 1974 and our rules, the portal will clearly state that the Bureau may share submitted information with the Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, other federal agencies combatting robocalls, state attorney general offices, other law enforcement entities with which the Commission has information sharing agreements, and the registered traceback consortium. 09/22/2021 at 8:45 am. adopted <25 Employees . In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) adopts rules to implement the Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act (TRACED Act) to streamline the process by which private entities may submit information to the Commission about violations of the Communications Act. fcc504@fcc.gov 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. Now I'm not knocking on Mr. Fotis, I'm just reporting on what I have found and I thank him for his service in the Army and as a Police Officer. Those two fundraising firms, whose ownership is not clear, dissolved Pledge Assistance in July 2018 and Politicause in June 2019, according to Wyoming records. I have directed an internal review of this matter.. L. 115-141, Div. Like many such telemarketing centers tucked away in strip malls or office parks, it offered no clues to what went on inside. 3. [FR Doc. 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. daniel.stepanicich@fcc.gov. Earlier this week, we spoke out alongside others in the business community regarding the violence that unfolded at the U.S. Capitol.. Police Officers' Defense Coalition 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.. We adopt rules to establish an online web portal where private entities may submit information about suspected violations of sections 227(b) and 227(e). on Once submitted, the Bureau will review to determine whether the information presents evidence of a violation of our rules. And the groups they were raising money for werent charities at all, but political action committees, which normally are set up to gather funds for candidates or political causes. 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. We anticipate that this portal will be particularly useful to private entities experiencing large scale robocall incidents and voice service providers that have network analytic information. 11. The call center in Sylacauga, visited by Reuters last year, was operated by Las Vegas-based TPFE Inc, a firm controlled by Zeitlin. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. or to request reasonable accommodations ( 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. Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics, The Republican Attorneys General Association and Rule of Law Defense Fund had no involvement in the planning, sponsoring, or the organization of Wednesdays event, the spokesperson said. 3. Its supporters also include interest groups such as the NRA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which was its top donor in 2020 with a $750,000 contribution. Verify: Law enforcement charity phone calls - KSDK Donations have surged to a 'scam' political group that claims - CNN Sara Kemerer of the . We were very clear with RAGA that we could not continue our relationship unless we had assurances that they take steps to ensure that nothing like this would happen again.. Thus, if Congress had intended to include individuals, we presume that it would have used the term person. Moreover, in other statutes the term private entity is often used to refer to organizations rather than individuals. Its infuriating, said Angelides, who learned from Reuters that it was a PAC that got his money. Black's Law Dictionary defines public entity as a governmental entity, such as a state government or one of its political subdivisions. At least one statute, the Americans with Disabilities Act, defines public entity as any state or local government and any department, agency, special purpose district, or other instrumentality of a State or States or local government.. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Lastly, we delegate authority to the Bureau to make further decisions about administration of the portal. The Committee for Police Officers' Defense (CPOD) The "Committee for Police Officer's Defense" (CPOD) was configured in order to complete an intrinsic goal. It is further ordered We interpret section 10(a) of the TRACED Act to encompass suspected or alleged violations of section 227(b) or section 227(e) as the most natural reading the of the statute. Senate Aging Committee Tackles Robocall Scams - MeriTalk announcing that compliance date and revising this paragraph accordingly. A 5 On Your Side viewer got one of those calls recently, asking him to support the National. documents in the last year, 467 How 'Scam PACs' reap millions in the name of heart-tugging causes 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. 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. NPRM, We released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking ( The fundraiser paid $11.6 million by PACs, including Bass operations, since 2017 listed an address in FEC documents that was a mail drop business in Washington D.C.Contract information subpoenaed by investigators and seen by Reuters ties Market Process Group to firms controlled by Mark Gelvan, a New Jersey-based fundraiser.Included were a phone number used by another Gelvan firm, Outreach Calling, an address used by his operation in Montville, New Jersey, and an email linked to another Gelvan company. 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. Interviews and records indicate managers at both firms once worked at a Zeitlin company called Courtesy Call. 20-374, FCC-21-75, adopted and released on June 17, 2021. 25. the official SGML-based PDF version on govinfo.gov, those relying on it for We agree with Twilio that private entities and consumers should be directed to a centralized reporting mechanism, but we also find that the new portal should be distinct from the existing informal consumer complaint process. At 1 p.m., we will march to the Capitol building and call on Congress to stop the steal, said the voice on the recording, which was obtained by NBC News. The FRFA is set forth in Appendix C. 18. 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. Gifts to actual charities are; donations to PACs, which sometimes sound like charities, are not. Never disclose personal information. Or follow the simplest rule: Never give to anyone over the phone, said Margot Saunders, senior counsel for the National Consumer Law Center. Police officer's scam robocall warning goes viral The "GMA" team of insiders analyzes some of the biggest stories trending this morning. that agencies use to create their documents. that parts 0 and 64 of the Commission's rules I was unaware of unauthorized decisions made by RLDF staff with regard to this weeks rally, said Marshall, who assumed his role Nov. 10. We enforce federal competition and consumer protection laws that prevent anticompetitive, deceptive, and unfair business practices. Start Printed Page 52843 Rather, they and their fundraisers present the PACs as charities, suggesting they support veterans, firefighters or victims of deadly diseases, for instance. on NARA's archives.gov. That could punish well-intentioned organizations, he said. Thats what critics call political action committees that gobble up most of the money they raise rather than using it forthe charitable or other causes they profess to support. Jan. 8, 2021, 5:36 PM PST. Those who responded denied their marketing was deceptive and defended their business model and compensation. Back in 2019, a CNN investigation traced a series of mysterious robocalls claiming to raise money for Trump's wall back to Support American Leaders PAC. Callers told Reuters they easily made the switch, working in the same buildings, for the same bosses, using similar scripts. You are not lying, but you are being extremely misleading, said Jason Jones, 24, a former employee at Politicause. a phone number), the caller ID information displayed, the phone number(s) called, the date(s) and time(s) of the relevant calls or texts, the name of the reporting private entity's service provider, and a description of the problematic calls or texts. Thus, a private entity is only in a position to provide information about calls that it suspects are violations of the law. The documents posted on this site are XML renditions of published Federal In this Issue, Documents Organizationally and individually, we strongly condemn and disavow the events which occurred., One of its members, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, attended the rally and spoke to the crowd, saying, We will not quit fighting., Following the Capitol invasion, he tweeted, I am sorely disappointed today in the certification of the election, but I dont believe violence is the answer.. The stance of the protestors was not consistent with Attorney General Carrs position on election fraud. a copy of this Report and Order Rulemaking, including the Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis, in a report to Congress and the Government Accountability Office pursuant to the Congressional Review Act, see 5 U.S.C. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. Training was minimal, pressure relentless and turnover high, the workers said. Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises area residents to be cautious of phone calls or mailers soliciting donations to the National Police Support Fund, an organization that describes itself as a. Each document posted on the site includes a link to the It is not an official legal edition of the Federal documents in the last year, 853 or call the FCC's Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice), (202) 418-0432 (TTY). Another enforcement action relied extensively on information from an industry group, the USTelecom's Industry Traceback Group (Traceback Group). documents in the last year, 282 The workers said Politicause managers eventually reined in that practice, requiring them to instead say that at least 10% went to the cause. documents in the last year, by the Executive Office of the President 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. Consistent with these privacy protections, however, the Bureau may share information gathered from the portal with other government agencies combatting robocalls.