Albany: New York State has passed a law expanding the classification of telemarketing to include marketing by text messages, closing a loophole that allows texts to be exempt from telemarketing regulations.
Before the legislation was signed on Tuesday, the state had only classified phone calls, which were often automated, for the regulations outlined in General Business Law Section 399-Z. According to the state Attorney General’s office, anybody contacted by a telemarketer can ask to be put on the telemarketer’s required Do Not Call list. They are prohibited from calling anyone on their list for at least 10 years.
New Yorkers registered on the national Do Not Call Registry will also not receive text messages from telemarketers. You can register for the Do Not Call Registry at www.donotcall.gov.
“Our consumer protections need to keep pace with technology and New Yorkers who have long been plagued by the nuisance of annoying calls from telemarketers now have to contend with unwanted texts attempting to sell them things they don’t want,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a press release. “This legislation closes this annoying loophole and will help ensure our laws are modernized to confront the needs of New Yorkers.”
