Wednesday, December 27, 2006 NTC warns telcos on spam messages
KORONADAL CITY -- The National Telecommunications Commission will penalize public telecommunications entities and content providers committing acts defined as text spams.
Michael Ferdinand Flores, NTC the legal officer here, Flores explained that there is a text spam when a public telecommunications entity or a content provider sends a commercial and promotional advertisement, survey, and other broadcast/push message to a subscriber without prior consent or to subscribers who have not opted to receive such messages.
He said that a telecom or content provider would be penalized also if it commits any of the prohibition provided in Memorandum Circular 03-03-2005-A.
Among those cited by the circular are sending of promos that are not registered and approved by the DTI; telecommunication companies entering into an agreement with content providers not registered with NTC; and resending of commercial and promotional advertisements, surveys, and other broadcast/push messages to subscribers who did not reply to said messages.
Other violations include failure of telcos and content providers to provide an easy-to-remember hotline number that may be assessed by voice calls or SMS and free of charge, to assist subscribers who may have queries on subscribed services and/or who wish to opt-out from a particular service or to be excluded from receiving any broadcast messages; failure of telcos and content providers to provide for methods for subscribers who have opted-in to opt-out at some later date; sending of broadcast/push messages between 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. except on paid subscriptions.
Violating the provisions and other rules may cause the suspension or cancellation of the telcos' certificate of registration, said Flores. (Press release)
