​The intent of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) TCPA regulations is to prohibit unwanted telemarketing calls to consumers. Unfortunately, automatically dialed calls from electric and gas utilities, including electric cooperatives, are being caught in the same net.

No one likes to receive unwanted marketing and sales calls or text messages. We understand the need for the TCPA and the regulation. Non-telemarketing information from utilities IS needed and wanted by consumers. Consumers need to know about planned and unplanned outages, repair work, service initiation and cancellation, service restoration, account balances and energy efficiency. Support your electric cooperatives by urging the FCC to rule favorably and quickly on the petition for expedited declaratory ruling filed by the Edison Electric Institute and the American Gas Association in February, 2015.