While FTC attorneys continue to focus upon recurring payment issues and aggressively enforce ROSCA compliance, a number of states have recently enacted or supplemental legislation on automatic renewal contracts (e.g., California, North Dakota, Vermont and Washington D.C.). Federal lawmakers may now be getting into the oversight act. Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) recently … [Read more...]
Federal Court Hold TCPA Plaintiff Did Not Adequately Allege ATDS
In Bader v. Navient Solutions, LLC (N.D. Ill. June 14, 2019), the North District of Illinois dismissed a Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) plaintiff’s claims on the basis that the complaint did not possesses sufficient facts to plausibly allege the defendant had used an automated telephone dialing system (ATDS), consistent with post-ACA International v. Federal … [Read more...]
How Deceptive User Interface Design Increases E-Commerce Sales
A fascinating Princeton study found hundreds of examples of deceptive "dark patterns" on e-commerce websites. Dark patterns are user interface features that, often deceptively, steer customers into making unintended decisions. The report has a great run-down of the various tricks that marketers are employing together with a list of various software vendors that enable … [Read more...]
Top Pay-Per-Call Verticals For 2019
Updated: May 29th, 2019 As the #1 rated Pay-Per-Call network, Aragon has made it a priority to provide their affiliates and advertisers with a clear path to ROI in mobile marketing, especially in Pay Per Call. Pay-Per-Call works across a wide range of verticals. Here are the top three verticals that have shown the strongest growth and deliver the highest … [Read more...]
Telephone Consumer Protection Act Update – TCPA
FCC Commissioner Delivers Pro-Telemarketer TCPA Speech - May 2019 FCC Commissioner Michael O’Reilly recently delivered a telemarketer defense-oriented speech at an event in Washington D.C. One of the many issues he addressed was the continuing landslide of frivolous Telephone Consumer Protection Act lawsuits. Commissioner O’Reilly made his opinion clear – the … [Read more...]
New York Becoming Leader of Financial Consumer Protection
The state of New York has long been considered a leading advocate of consumer protection, particularly when it comes to regulating the financial services industry. In 2014, New York’s Department of Financial Services adopted regulatory rules for debt collectors. In 2017, NYDFS issued its cybersecurity rules for financial services. Last month, New York’s … [Read more...]
Can Affiliate Marketing Networks Build Transparency Through Events?
By Chris Trayhorn, CEO and Founder, mThink/Blue Book Most affiliate marketing networks are pretty cautious about connecting their advertisers directly with publishers. The risk of them setting up a direct business relationship - cutting the network out of the deal - is real. This kind of disintermediation is a major risk to the revenue streams of networks and … [Read more...]
CrakRevenue Introduces the ACH Payment System for Its Affiliates
QUEBEC CITY - CrakRevenue, which recently secured the 7th position out of the world’s best CPA networks according to mThink’s Blue Book 2019, is pleased to announce the availability of automated clearing house (ACH) transactions on its platform. Affiliates from all around the world can choose this new payment method right now. With the added benefits of ultra fast … [Read more...]
TCPA News for Telemarketers
SCOTUS Grants Certiorari in TCPA Case Following the ACA International decision from the D.C. Circuit, it was a matter of when, not if. The deepening splits of opinion regarding interpretation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act have resulted in the U.S. Supreme Court granting certiorari to a case that could determine whether the judicial system or the Federal … [Read more...]
Interview with Blue Ribbon Panelist Gus Brito
Interview With Gus Brito – Director of Network Development, Flexoffers.com Should advertisers or publishers care about whether their network partner(s) are investing in new technology or are innovating? [GB] Both aspects are equally important to ensure our industry continues to grow exponentially. I believe advertisers and publisher should definitely have an interest in … [Read more...]
The Smart Grid Maturity Model
The software industry has been using maturity models to define and measure software development capabilities for decades. These models have helped the industry create a shared vision for these capabilities. They also have driven individual software development organizations to set and pursue aggressive capabilities goals while allowing these groups to measure progress in … [Read more...]
Customer Relationships and the Economy
A little over a year ago, the challenges facing the global energy and utilities market were driving a significant wedge between utilities and their customers. In Western European markets, price increases across gas, electricity and water, combined with increased corporate earnings, left many utilities in the uncomfortable position of being seen as profiteering from customers … [Read more...]
Infrastructure and the Economy
With utility infrastructure aging rapidly, reliability of service is threatened. Yet the economy is hurting, unemployment is accelerating, environmental mandates are rising, and the investment portfolios of both seniors and soon-to-retire boomers have fallen dramatically. Everyone agrees change is needed. The question is: how? In every one of these respects, state regulators … [Read more...]
Be a People Person
I have to admit it. Despite all the exciting new technologies out there, I am finding myself to be a people person when it comes to building smarter grids and more intelligent utilities. Granted, technology is rapidly developing and the utility industry is finding itself in the middle of more and more automation. However, people - from linemen to consumers - will remain … [Read more...]
The Smart Grid in Malta
On the Mediterranean island of Malta, with a population of about 400,000 people on a land mass of just over 300 square kilometers, power, water and the economy are intricately linked. The country depends on electrically powered desalination plants for over half of its water supply. In fact, about 75 percent of the cost of water from these plants on Malta is directly related to … [Read more...]