Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991
| Long title | A bill to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit certain practices involving the use of telephone equipment for advertising and solicitation purposes. | 
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| Enacted by | the 102nd United States Congress | 
| Citations | |
| Public law | Pub. L. 102–243 | 
| Codification | |
| Acts amended | Communications Act of 1934 | 
| U.S.C. sections created | 47 U.S.C. § 227 | 
| U.S.C. sections amended | 47 U.S.C. § 201 | 
| Legislative history | |
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| United States Supreme Court cases | |
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The Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA) was passed by the United States Congress in 1991 and signed into law by President George H. W. Bush as Public Law 102-243. It amended the Communications Act of 1934. The TCPA is codified as 47 U.S.C. § 227. The TCPA restricts telephone solicitations (i.e., telemarketing) and the use of automated telephone equipment. The TCPA limits companies or debt collectors from calling clients or prospective customers using automatic dialing systems, artificial or prerecorded voice messages, SMS text messages, and fax machines. It also specifies several technical requirements for fax machines, autodialers, and voice messaging systems—principally with provisions requiring identification and contact information of the entity using the device to be contained in the message.