This will be a short posting, just long enough to alert you about recent events that could impact your business. Back in August of 2010, I wrote about the Truth in Caller ID Act of 2010. At the time, it had been passed by the House but not yet signed into law. Well as of December 23, 2010, it has been signed into law.
This rule or act would prohibit any person or entity in the United States with the intent to defraud, cause harm or wrongfully obtain anything of value, from knowingly causing, directly or indirectly, any caller identification service to transmit or display misleading or inaccurate caller identification information. Penalties could be in the thousands of dollars.
While it has been signed into law, there is still a period of time where the government will be seeking comment on the following items: the use of the word 'knowingly'; whether the current verbiage of the rule provides sufficient guidance; the definition of "caller identification information"; and the benefits and burdens of adopting the proposed rules.
It's worth noting that the act is not intended to prevent or restrict any person from blocking the transmission of caller identification information. I write about caller IDs and its impact on billing and call processing and now legal implications because these are important issues that can have a financial impact on your business. I have provided a link below for additional information. I recommend you do your research to determine how this act will impact your business and that you take the opportunity to send comments on how this act will affect your business. Comments may be filed electronically using the Internet by accessing the ECFS. Additional details on this act can be found here.
