Sorry, Wrong Number, Now Pay Up

[Commentary] None of us relishes intrusive calls from telemarketers. But if the Federal Communications Commission votes as Chairman Wheeler portends, it will drive another unnecessary wedge between corporations and the people they serve. This was not what Congress intended when nearly 25 years ago it acted to shield people from unwanted telemarketing calls. If there is any discomfiture with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act —and there should be—it is because class-action lawyers have turned a law meant to serve consumers into a law that serves them. The FCC has the authority, and the responsibility, to end this burden on businesses large and small.

[Hoffman is the founder and chairman of Business in the Public Interest]