Overview

This bill, the Unsolicited Telephone Communications Bill, aims to amend the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 to tighten controls on unsolicited marketing calls. It clarifies the rules around when such calls are permitted, making it harder for companies to make nuisance calls.

Description

The bill makes several key changes to existing regulations:

• Clarifying Permitted Calls: It amends Regulation 21, specifying that unsolicited marketing calls are only permitted if the called party has given their prior consent. Previous ambiguity is removed.
• Removing Exceptions: It repeals clauses in Regulation 21 that allowed certain exemptions for unsolicited calls, closing loopholes exploited by telemarketers.
• Register Amendment: The bill modifies Regulation 26, requiring a register to be kept of those who have given consent to receive unsolicited marketing calls. The "not" is removed from the existing wording, making registration mandatory.

Government Spending

The bill does not specify any direct government spending. The cost of implementation will likely fall on organizations making marketing calls and possibly on the regulatory bodies responsible for enforcement.

Groups Affected

• Businesses engaging in direct marketing: They will face stricter regulations and potential penalties for non-compliance. The cost of complying with the new rules may increase.
• Consumers: They will likely see a reduction in unsolicited marketing calls, leading to less nuisance and improved privacy.
• Regulatory bodies: These bodies will be responsible for enforcing the amended regulations and will need to allocate resources for this purpose.

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