“Boehnerland” Lobbyists Win Right to Bombard Student Borrowers With Robocalls
Deep inside the 114-page
budget deal that passed the House Wednesday, legislative leaders tucked
in a provision that will free debt collectors to bombard student loan
borrowers with unlimited robocall and automated text messages where it
hurts most — on their mobile devices — even when they are asked to stop.
The change is a major victory for the debt collections industry,
which has retained a small army of lawyers and lobbyists for years to
weaken the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the law that protects
people from unwanted robocalls and prerecorded messages.
It’s also a big win for the small network of lobbyists within outgoing Speaker John Boehner’s inner circle, a cadre nicknamed “Boehnerland” by D.C insiders.
