Verizon Wireless moves against ‘Velveteen Rabbit’ telemarketing calls

Verizon Wireless said it filed a lawsuit today against Feature Films for Families Inc. to stop the company from calling Verizon Wireless customers and employees to promote the movie “The Velveteen Rabbit.”
In the lawsuit, Verizon Wireless alleges that the Utah-based telemarketing company illegally used an auto-dialer to make nearly 500,000 calls to Verizon Wireless users over 10 days in early February and did so for Los Angeles-based company Family 1 Films.
“Telemarketers continue to harass our customers and impinge on their privacy, often using illegal methods including auto-dialers,” said Steven Zipperstein, VP and general counsel of Verizon Wireless. “Whatever their methods and whatever their product, these unlawful telemarketing calls are an annoyance to our customers and invade their privacy.”
Further, Verizon Wireless said in a release, the calls were being made over and over again from the same number, averaging one call every 0.32 to 0.36 seconds. The carrier claims in its lawsuit that these actions violate the Federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which bans auto-dialer use to wireless phones.
The issue is not new, and a number of carriers, including AT&T Mobility and others, have filed similar lawsuits to stop auto-dialer telemarketing.