HERE IT IS: That Incredible VIDEO Podcast You’ve been Waiting For–Featuring Interview with U.S. Telecom S.V.P. Patrick Halley

2 Comments

Editor’s Warning: You can’t unsee this thing. Click with care. Viewing guide follows at the end of this article.

Well folks, it has all led up to this and you are going to love this thing.

With all the videoconferencing we’ve been doing during the COVID19 pandemic–and without access to our sophisticated podcast studios–it was only natural that we’d try our hand at a VIDEO version of the Unprecedented podcast, made possible through the wonders of webex.

Podcast.jpeg

Without question this turned out to be the best version of the podcast yet. This episode has it all: goofy hats (nice clickbait picture right?), witty banter, a critical breakdowns of the TCPA SCOTUS review, the big new Second Circuit ruling on ATDS (Duran v. LaBoom), the FCC’s implementation of TRACED Act requirements, and the FCC’s action around COVID19 calls. Plus Sara announces her new TCPAWorld nickname and we tease a NON-PUBLIC FCC petition that will literally changed the TCPAWorld.

Jammed packed.

But most importantly, of course, we deliver our highly-anticipated interview with  Patrick Halley, Sr. V.P. at U.S. Telecom–one of the most powerful trade organizations on the planet– that represents dozens of telecom players in the United States. US Telecom, in turn, created and runs the Industry Traceback Group–using tips from companies like YouMail and Nomorobo to identify scam calls and then implement traceback efforts to identify the point of entry for those calls into the US carrier networks. Its a tremendous program that has shown incredible success at getting to the real root of the robocall problem–the overseas call centers running the terrible scam calls we all detest.

halley

Patrick Halley

In the incredible VIDEO interview–brought to you via Squire Patton Boggs POWERVision ™ at the 19:25 mark– Patrick walks us through how the traceback effort works and the brick-by-brick steps necessary to identify the source of scam calls. He also discusses the huge pressure on carriers to BLOCK calls–including potentially legal calls–and the steps legitimate callers can take to make sure their traffic is not improperly blocked or labeled as a scam.

We also discuss the murky limits of regulation impacting carriers and the strange and sudden shift in expectations that has some carriers feeling like they have been unfairly tasked with policing traffic on their network at their own peril. Historically carriers were never deemed to be responsible for illegal phone calls passing over their lines, but these days there is increasing governmental pressure on carriers to shut down illegal calls–even though no law or regulation appears to require carriers to act. Nonetheless, the DOJ and state AGs are now increasingly pursuing cases against carriers as “participants” in wire fraud rings for knowingly connecting fraudulent traffic–and using the work of the Industry Traceback Group to make their case.

But no interview with Patrick would be complete without a discussion of carrier call blocking efforts and what callers can do TODAY to increase their chances of having their traffic get through. To be sure Patrick and I discuss redress mechanisms to allow callers to have their concerns over blocked calls heard by the carriers short of litigation–we shouldn’t have to file a lawsuit to get calls connected–and the protections the carriers are seeking for improperly blocked calls.

It all makes for a fascinating overview of the regulatory state of the telecom industry that you simply can’t get anywhere else. TCPAWorld.com and Squire Patton Boggs are pleased and proud to provide this important and informative content.

To assist your navigation through the video, here’s your TCPAWorld.com Unprecedented podcast viewing guide (never thought I’d say that):

  • From the start to about the 4:02 mark I introduce myself and my diverse and talented cast;
  • At the 3:38 mark Sara Borgijiandeclares herself the “Baroness” of the TCPAWorld;
  • At the 4:02 mark I brag about TCPAWorld for a while;
  • At the 4:45 mark the Grand Duchess breaks down the big Supreme Court review of the TCPA;
  • At the 6:50 mark I gave the official prediction of TCPAWorld.com on the outcome of the SCOTUS review (boy am I going to regret doing that if I’m wrong);
  • At the 7:52 mark the Archduke breaks down the huge ATDS ruling out of the Second Circuit Court of Appeal–ignore the incorrect graphic stating it is a 7th Cir. case– in Duran v. LaBoom Disco;
  • At the 10:15 mark I start talking but the camera awkwardly stays on the Archduke for about a solid minute for no reason. (Thanks webex);
  • At the 11:04 mark you get to see the Baroness all dressed up for the ball— brace yourselves folks this is worth the price of admission;
  • At the 11:20 mark the Baroness breaks down the FCC’s recent activity around the emergency purposes exemption in light of the Covid19 pandemic;
  • At the 15:30 mark I declare this video podcast to be “easily” the greatest thing ever created by a law firm;
  • At 15:37 the Baron begins his breakdown ofall the big FCC activity surrounding the implementation of the TRACED Act;
  • At 18:20 the Baron and I tease a new soon-to-be-filed FCC petition that we aren’t allowed to talk about yet (who do I do these things?);
  • At 19:25 we turn to Squire Patton Boggs POWERVision (TM) for our big interview with U.S. Telecom S.V.P. Patrick Halley;
  • At some point in the interview I declare him to be “batman”–(send me an e-mail identifying the mark and I’ll send you a prize–once COVID lets us back into our offices);
  • At 1:03 we begin our post-interview breakdown (Yes–the interview with Patrick runs 40 informative minutes!)
  • At 1:06:21 the Apprenticemakes a cameo on the podcast–where’d he come from?
  • At 1:10:12 I close the show with my patented sign off.

So what’d ya think? Do you like the new video format? Did we strike the right balance of informative and entertaining? We want your feedback so we can improve our offerings and future shows.

Chat soon.

 

Categories:

Published by Eric J. Troutman

The Czar of TCPAWorld Eric Troutman is one of the country’s prominent class action defense lawyers and is nationally recognized in Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) litigation and compliance. He has served as lead defense counsel in more than 70 national TCPA class actions and has litigated nearly a thousand individual TCPA cases in his role as national strategic litigation counsel for major banks and finance companies. He also helps industry participants build TCPA-compliant processes, policies, and systems. Eric has built a national litigation practice based upon deep experience, rigorous analysis and extraordinary responsiveness. Eric and his team feel equally at home litigating multibillion dollar telecommunications class actions in federal court as they do developing and executing national litigation strategies for institutions facing an onslaught of individual TCPA matters. They thrive in each of these roles – delivering consistently excellent results – while never losing sight of the client experience. While many firms now tout TCPA expertise, Eric has been there from the beginning. He built one of the country’s first TCPA-only defense teams and began serving as national TCPA counsel for his clients nearly a decade ago. This perspective allows him to swiftly develop the right litigation strategies for dealing with recurring problems, without wasting time on tactics that are bound to fail. Eric’s rich historical perspective and encyclopedic knowledge of the TCPA landscape also make him an invaluable resource to institutional compliance teams struggling to comply with the shifting regulatory landscape. No task is too small – or too big. Indeed, Eric and his team have helped build TCPA-compliant systems and processes for some of the largest and most complex corporate entities in the country. He commonly works with in-house compliance counsel to build and implement enterprise and business-line specific TCPA solutions, performs TCPA audits and drafts and reviews proposed TCPA policies and procedures. He and his team also have the technical expertise necessary to assist call centers seeking to develop TCPA-resistant call path architecture or to modify existing telephony and software integration to better insulate from potential TCPA exposure. Eric has built a reputation for thought leadership. An avid blogger and speaker, he has been at the forefront of the industry’s effort to push for clarity and a return to sanity for the TCPA for years. He was selected to advocate for the financial services industry on important TCPA issues before the Federal Communications Commission and co-authored the nation’s only comprehensive practice guide on TCPA defense. In his spare time, Eric leads defense teams representing banks and other financial services companies in consumer finance litigation matters. He has experience representing clients in UCC, TILA, RESPA FCRA, CCRA, CLRA, FDCPA, RFDCPA and FCCPA claims, as well as in fraud and bank operations issues.

2 Comments

  1. Pingback: CZAR FEED: Squire Patton Boggs Partner Eric J. Troutman Provides Live and Unscripted Analysis of SCOTUS TCPA Oral Argument – TCPAWorld
  2. Pingback: Will Your Calls Connect?: FCC Considers Important Ruling Allowing Callers to Complain About Blocked Calls—But Grants Additional Safeharbors to Carriers – TCPAWorld

Leave a Reply