Robo-calls may be irritating, but should they be regulated?
CQ Politics reports: Prerecorded calls offering negative information about every Republican presidential hopeful except former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee caused a bit of an furor in Iowa this week, and Congress just might keep stirring the pot.
The House Administration Subcommittee on Elections is considering whether political dial-a-voter messages ought to abide by the same “do not call” list limits as commercial telemarketers. Lawmakers are concerned that some groups are using the calls to deliberately mislead voters and that the abuse could depress voter turnout.
A spokesman for Zoe Lofgren , D-Calif., the subcommittee’s chairwoman, said she may try to add such a provision to a pending bill (HR 1383) seeking stricter limits on the so-called robo-calls.
During a hearing Thursday, Lofgren said a Pew Internet and American Life Project report indicated that roughly two-thirds of Americans received the prerecorded calls during the weeks preceding last year’s election. -- Congress Takes New Legislative Interest in Political ‘Robo-Calls'
Comments
Regulations won't work. I was at the hearing and it is clear that if there is regs (which need to deal with 1st amendment free speech rights) that they will never work.
The market approach will.
A new non-partisan, non-profit is working to reduce robo calls with the National Political Do Not Contact Registry.
www.StopPoliticalCalls.org
Shaun Dakin
Posted by: Shaun Dakin![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.votelaw.com/blog/nav-commenters.gif)
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December 9, 2007 8:16 AM