The Telecom/IT Impact of Dodd-Frank

At the most recent conference of the Society of Telecommunications Consultants (stcconsultants.org), I was asked about the duties that the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Pub.L. 111-203, H.R. 4173) has placed on record retention and maintenance for those entities (financial institutions and organizations) that work in the swap space. Given that the rules in the Act became effective on June 4, 2012, compliance is now law.

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Telemarketers and Crammers Beware: The FCC, FTC and the NY Legislature Are Not Only Watching, But Taking Action

Today, when I got back to the office and noticed a fourth unsolicited junk fax in a week, I was annoyed.  The fax number is on the Do-Not-Call list, and every time I receive a junk fax, I file a complaint.  Like KoKo, the Lord High Executioner in Gilbert & Sullivan’s Mikado, “I’ve Got a Little List” and it’s getting longer by the day. My feeling is that if I don’t want to receive these unwarranted solicitations, I have to do my part. And I do.  I’ve filed four complaints this week.

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Cramming and Scamming…The Beat Goes On…

With spring come new leaves, flowers, and apparently bad guys.  On two different listservs of which I’m a member, numerous notes have been racing around about a new and nefarious scam that’s making its way to various end users of telecommunications services.

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Local (Residential) Landlines in Long Term Limbo?

It is no secret that many people have chosen to completely replace their landlines with wireless devices—and have done so for a number of very good reasons: Not only are wireless devices mobile, but you don’t have to worry about making any changes when you relocate to a new residence. And of course smart phones, in particular, are much more than just telephones: They’re capable of all sorts of sophisticated functions that the wired set at home just can’t perform. Although I have no plans to take similar action, I understand why people make this decision.

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The Potential Perils of Call Center Offshoring

Most people dislike off-shore call centers. In fact, the largest telecommunications companies know that Americans dislike off-shore call centers with such intensity that those largest companies often use the repatriating off-shore call centers as an incentive to encourage regulatory bodies to approve otherwise less than desirable combinations (read: AT&T’s recent unsuccessful attempt to acquire T-Mobile).  Much to the dismay of those of us who have reached out and touched one of these call centers, what may have been saved by the companies providing overseas call center support has been lost in customer satisfaction. 

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