The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued a Citation against ride-sharing service provider Lyft for requiring users to receive auto-dialed or prerecorded telemarketing calls and texts as a condition of service.
According to the text of the Citation issued in September 2015, Lyft’s service agreement says that consumers may opt out of receiving telemarketing calls and texts using “provided unsubscribe options.” However, information about unsubscribe options are not readily identifiable on Lyft’s website, and those customers who manage to successfully opt-out are not able to use Lyft’s services unless and until they agree to opt back into receiving such calls and texts.
Under the provisions of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), companies must obtain express written consent from user prior to making “any prerecorded or artificial telemarketing calls to residential phones or autodialed, prerecorded or artificial voice calls or text to wireless phones.” In addition, FCC rules directly prohibits companies from requiring a consumer to consent to receive such calls or texts as a condition of service.
The FCC’s Citation notifies Lyft of their violation of FCC rules, and that failure to comply could result in sanctions and monetary penalties for continued violations.
Read the complete text of the FCC’s Citation in connection with Lyft.
