Last week, King’s Property Solutions LLC, a Huntsville-based real estate investment company, agreed to stop sending out robocalls and reform its business practices after Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office threatened to sue the company.
According to the AG’s office, King’s Property Solutions violated the Alabama Telemarketing Act, the Alabama Deceptive Trade Practices Act and the federal government’s Telemarketing Sales Rule.
During an interview with Huntsville radio’s WVNN on Monday, Marshall said robocalls were a primary complaint from constituents. However, there could be more proactive measures taken like the action against King Property Solutions in the future that are partnerships with other state governments and federal agencies, according to Marshall.
“I probably get asked when I’m just sort of out-and-about about this issue more than anything else,” Marshall said. “I mean, it’s a problem for everyone, and we get it. A couple of efforts that we’ve made – one of which is what we announced last week when we partnered with the Federal Trade Commission and 19 other states to investigate leads and take enforcement actions against those who violated both provisions relating to the Federal Trade Commission, as well as to Alabama law.”
“You know, we are required at the AG’s office to license those who want to engage in telemarketing,” he continued. “We have the ability to take administrative actions to those who do it that otherwise aren’t licensed. Also, we have the vehicle, not criminally but civilly, through our Deceptive Trade Practices Act to stop deceptive statements from being made as part of those calls.”
Marshall acknowledged the issues of technology outpacing government’s ability to regulate robocalls.
“We were able to identify a company that was doing it unlawfully and really pleased with our ability to partner with the FTC in being able to not only identify those unlawful calls but be able to shut them down,” Marshall added. “Beyond that, we joined with 39 other attorneys general reaching out to both the FCC and the FTC to be able to take stronger stands, and also to be able to enable many of our wireless carriers who had certain restrictions at the FCC that prohibited them from being able to proactive in this area, to be able to block calls, obviously with the consent of the consumer to be able to stop because what we also know is not only are they bothersome but many of these calls relate to scams that prey particularly on our seniors. On so, this is very much an issue of importance and one that unfortunately sometimes technology tends to outpace what we can do, whether it be from a regulation side, or be it from a statute side. But yet, we tend to have many attorneys general from around the country that understand the importance of this and working with agencies that have some regulatory authority here to be able to encourage a very proactive step. But it was a good action. We’re very pleased by it. But there’s clearly more work to be done.”
@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University, the editor of Breitbart TV and host of “The Jeff Poor Show” from 2-5 p.m. on WVNN in Huntsville.
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