FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 
WASHINGTON 
OFFICE OF 
THE CHAIRMAN 
The Honorable Renee Ellmers 
U.S. House of Representatives 
426 Cannon House Office Building 
Washington, D.C. 20515 
Dear Congresswoman Ellmers: 
February 6, 2015 
Thank you for your letter urging the Commission to act on a Petition for Declaratory 
Ruling filed by RTI International (RTI), which requests that the Commission clarify that the 
Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) does not apply to research survey calls made by or 
on behalf of the federal government. Your views are very imp01iant and will be included in the 
record ofthe proceeding and considered as part of the Commission ' s review. 
As you note, in 1 991 , Congress enacted the TCP A to protect consumers from unwanted 
autodialed or prerecorded calls. The statute and the Commission's subsequent implementing 
rules prohibit the use of automatic telephone dialing systems and artificial or prerecorded voice 
messages to make non-emergency calls without prior express consent to, among others, any 
mobile telephone service number. 
On November 19, 2014, the Commission' s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau 
issued a Public Notice seeking comment on RTI's petition. Comments on issues raised by the 
petition were due by December 23 , 2014, and reply comments were due by January 12, 2015 . 
Commission staff is comprehensively reviewing the record established in this proceeding. 
Please be assured that we will take into consideration the issues and concerns presented by all 
stakeholders as the Commission reviews the record as expeditiously as possible. 
I appreciate your interest in this matter. Please let me know if I can be of any further 
assistance. 
~;;;ffiL 
Tom Wheeler 
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 
WASHINGTON 
OFFICE OF 
THE CHAIRMAN 
The Honorable David E. Price 
U.S. House of Representatives 
2162 Rayburn House Office Building 
Washington, D.C. 20515 
Dear Congressman Price: 
February 6, 2015 
Thank you for your letter urging the Commission to act on a Petition for Declaratory 
Ruling filed by RTI International (RTI) , which requests that the Commission clarify that the 
Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) does not apply to research survey calls made by or 
on behalf of the federal government. Your views are very important and will be included in the 
record of the proceeding and considered as part of the Commission' s review. 
As you note, in 1991 , Congress enacted the TCP A to protect consumers from unwanted 
autodialed or prerecorded calls. The statute and the Commission' s subsequent implementing 
rules prohibit the use of automatic telephone dialing systems and artificial or prerecorded voice 
messages to make non-emergency calls without prior express consent to, among others, any 
mobile telephone service number. 
On November 19, 2014, the Commission' s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau 
issued a Public Notice seeking comment on RTI ' s petition. Comments on issues raised by the 
petition were due by December 23 , 2014, and reply comments were due by January 12, 2015. 
Commission staff is comprehensively reviewing the record established in this proceeding. 
Please be assured that we will take into consideration the issues and concerns presented by all 
stakeholders as the Commission reviews the record as expeditiously as possible. 
I appreciate your interest in this matter. Please let me know if I can be of any further 
assistance. 
Tom Wheeler 
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 
WASHINGTON 
OFFICE OF 
THE CHAIRMAN 
The Honorable G.K. Butterfield 
U.S. House ofRepresentatives 
2305 Rayburn House Office Building 
Washington, D.C. 20515 
Dear Congressman Butterfield: 
February 6, 2015 
Thank you for your letter urging the Commission to act on a Petition for Declaratory 
Ruling filed by RTI International (RTI), which requests that the Commission clarify that the 
Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) does not apply to research survey calls made by or 
on behalf of the federal government. Your views are very important and will be included in the 
record of the proceeding and considered as part of the Commission's review. 
As you note, in 1991 , Congress enacted the TCPA to protect consumers from unwanted 
autodialed or prerecorded calls. The statute and the Commission's subsequent implementing 
rules prohibit the use of automatic telephone dialing systems and artificial or prerecorded voice 
messages to make non-emergency calls without prior express consent to, among others, any 
mobile telephone service number. 
On November 19,2014, the Commission's Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau 
issued a Public Notice seeking comment on RTI's petition. Comments on issues raised by the 
petition were due by December 23,2014, and reply comments were due by January 12, 2015. 
Commission staff is comprehensively reviewing the record established in this proceeding. 
Please be assured that we will take into consideration the issues and concerns presented by all 
stakeholders as the Commission reviews the record as expeditiously as possible. 
I appreciate your interest in this matter. Please let me know if I can be of any further 
assistance. 
Sincerely, 
~  
Tom Wheeler