Bill
S 272
Expands Do Not Call protections to include businesses and other entities, allowing them to register and receive limits on unsolicited telemarketing calls.
Important note on inconsistencies in source materials
- The document you supplied contains conflicting metadata: a header naming an “MTA Executive Pay Freeze Act” and a sponsors list that appears to be from a different (federal) context. The actual bill text in the docket and the title supplied in the petition language indicate the bill’s purpose is to allow businesses to sign up for the state “Do Not Call” list. This summary focuses on the statutory text provided.
Purpose and intent
- The bill would expand the scope of Massachusetts’ telemarketing “Do Not Call” law (chapter 159C) so that businesses and other non‑individual entities can be treated as “consumers” and therefore be able to register and receive protection from unsolicited telemarketing calls.
Key provisions (what the bill changes)
- Amends the definition of “consumer” (Chapter 159C, §1):
- Replaces the prior definition limited to individuals/residential subscribers with a broader definition that includes: an individual resident of the Commonwealth or an association, corporation, partnership, limited partnership, limited liability company, or other entity operating in the Commonwealth that subscribes to residential or business telephone services and is a prospective recipient of goods or services.
- Removes the word “residential” from at least two statutory locations (Section 1 and Section 5), thereby eliminating a statutory residential-only limitation.
- Replaces references to “person” with “consumer” in Sections 8 and 10, aligning enforcement/coverage language with the new, broader “consumer” definition.
Who would be affected
- Newly covered entities: businesses and other organizations that subscribe to telephone service in Massachusetts (business lines as well as residential lines) would be eligible to register on the state Do Not Call list.
- Telemarketers and firms that make outbound sales or solicitation calls would be restricted from calling numbers (including business numbers) that are on the Do Not Call registry.
- State enforcement agencies and the regulated telemarketing industry would see administrative and compliance impacts (registration, recordkeeping, screening call lists).
Procedural status and timeline (from provided docket entries)
- Filed: 1/12/2025 (Senate Docket No. 359)
- Introduced in Senate / Read twice and referred: 1/28/2025
- Referred to committees (variously recorded): Transportation; Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure; also entries referencing Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
- Hearing activity: hearings scheduled/rescheduled for October 1, 2025 (per docket entries).
- Current bill status as provided: REFERRED (committee assignment entries vary).
Potential impacts and considerations
- Expands privacy protections to business telephone numbers and institutional subscribers, reducing allowable telemarketing targets.
- Could increase compliance costs for telemarketers (scrubbing lists, maintaining suppression lists) and reduce certain phone‑based sales channels for firms that rely on cold calling to businesses.
- Text modifies statutory definitions and cross‑references but does not itself detail the registration mechanism, enforcement penalties, exemptions (e.g., existing business relationships, political or charitable calls), or effective date — those would rely on existing chapter 159C mechanisms unless further amended.
Outstanding questions / uncertainties
- The bill text is narrowly written to change definitions; operational and enforcement specifics (how businesses sign up, fee/exemptions, enforcement thresholds) are not detailed here.
- Metadata inconsistencies (title, sponsors, committee referrals) in the docket should be clarified with the Senate clerk or sponsor offices to confirm correct attribution and current procedural posture.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
Sign in to ask a question.
