With Congress enjoying an all-time low 9% approval rating, they’ve decided why not go for a perfect zero by sponsoring a bill that would allow marketers to robocall your cell phone.
Yes, you read that right. Our intrepid NY Senator Chuck Schumer is leading the charge against the bill, but he is up against some powerful forces.
I never thought there was a public demand for nuisance calls, but obviously Nebraska Republican Congressman Lee Terry knows better. “This bill is a badly needed update of the so-called Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 that will allow calls for ‘informational purposes’ only,” swears Terry, with his fingers and toes securely crossed.
Among the private sector sponsors of the bill are ACA International (which represents collection agencies) and the American Bankers Association (ABA).
In a funny coincidence, the ABA is one of the most generous contributors to the Congressional campaigns of Rep. Terry.
Furious yet? Hey, relax. According to Oregon Republican Congressman Greg Walden, “most consumers have buckets of minutes, so receiving an additional call or two costs them nothing.”
Even if this were true, do you know anyone so lonely he or she would welcome calls on their cells from aggressive telemarketers and harrassing bill collectors?
The innocuous-sounding Mobile Information Call Act “will open the floodgates to telemarketers, who could call you on your cell phone during breakfast, lunch or dinner, no matter if you’re at home, in school or in the office,” warns Schumer. Tell ‘em, Chuck!
While the bill was proposed by House Republicans, it did have a surprise Democratic Congressional co-sponsor: Brooklyn’s own Ed Towns.
Why is that, you wonder? So did I. Unfortunately on Town’s web page, the “contact me” section offers no direct e-mail address or phone number. In addition, neither Towns nor his staff has returned calls for comment from local newspapers or TV on the matter. Hmm…
If passed, does anyone want to bet that the revised bill won’t also allow politicians to make those obnoxious, endless robo calls in time for the 2012 election?
In the meantime, can anyone supply me with the private cell phone numbers of Reps. Terry, Walden and Towns? Just asking.