The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA), as part of a group of concerned businesses known as the Business Users Coalition…
The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA), as part of a group of concerned businesses known as the Business Users Coalition, last week filed a petition for a six-month emergency stay with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). This stay is in response to the FCC announcement on July 25 that effective August 25, 2003, small businesses … provide consent to all companies from which they receive certain faxed information.
If an emergency stay is not granted, this regulation will cause great harm to thousands of travel agencies and other small businesses across the country, said Richard M. Copland, CTC, ASTA president and CEO. The travel industry, alone, accounts for about 18 million faxed pages each month. To abruptly cut off travel agents` ability to communicate with their vendors and customers, without first allowing them enough time to examine and comply with the law, would be egregious and irresponsible.
In its petition, the Coalition wrote: Those thirty calendar days simply fail to give all affected parties adequate time to obtain the necessary consent. Failure to obtain express, written consent could interfere with the flow of information to many small businesses, such as mortgage brokers, travel agents, and publishers of trade circulations that heavily rely on receiving vital business information via fax … Tens of millions of businesses rely on facsimiles to receive crucial, timely information. And the recipients receive the faxes from a variety of sources.
Small businesses have operated under the established business relationship (EBR) exception, which allowed them to fax without express, signed written consent, for more than 10 years. Now, as the BUC, noted in its petition, the withdrawal of the established business relationship exception … represents an abrupt and unexpected change in the Commission`s rules. … Given the substantial changes wrought by the Commission`s new fax rules, it is arbitrary and capricious for the Commission to not permit more time for companies to come into compliance.
In addition to ASTA, the Business Users Coalition is comprised of the Mortgage Bankers Association of America, National Association of Mortgage Brokers, Consumer Mortgage Coalition, and the Midwest Circulation Association.
At a later date, ASTA will be seeking changes in the content of the rules and if necessary, judicial and Congressional review.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
