Federal do-not-fax legislation goes into effect July 1st of this year. Are you ready? Are you sure? (You thought you were ready for the Teleservices Sales Rule, too, remember.) Just as with previous do-not-call laws, this one is far-reaching (and doesn't exempt you from state do-not-fax lists) and comes neatly packaged with large fees per violation.
Software from a company called CTAP works with your PBX to check the outgoing fax traffic and make sure you're not contacting anyone on federal, state or third-party "do-not-fax" lists. See full release below.
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CTAP Launches CTAP FaxShield; Blocks Outgoing Faxes from Connecting With Restricted Numbers
Innovative Product Ensures Compliance with Federal Law
DALLAS, May 12, 2005 – CTAP, a strategic provider of telecommunications services, technology and applications for helping businesses leverage the power of convergent networks, announced today the release of CTAP FaxShield™, a Web-based application that puts companies in compliance with the Federal Communications Commission’s “Do Not Fax” regulation to be implemented July 1, 2005. This technology provides customers with an up-to-date, centralized source of data for every state, federal and third party “do-not fax” list, plus a solution for automated call blocking to fax numbers in those databases.
Under the new rules for the delivery of facsimile advertisements, it is unlawful to send unsolicited advertisements (also known as junk faxes) to a fax machine without prior written permission of the recipient. This includes faxes sent to servers and personal computers and means that businesses continuing to send faxes to other businesses or consumers without their expressed approval will be subject to enforcement actions, including the issuance of citations and fines.
CTAP FaxShield blocks outgoing faxes from connecting to restricted machines and sends them back to the originator to get approval from the recipient to receive the fax. “All processes involved with ensuring customer compliance with federal law through CTAP FaxShied is handled behind the scenes,” said Max Adams, president and CEO of CTAP. “Once the customer implements the product, their headaches end, and our work begins.”
Once a customer has implemented FaxShield, CTAP then programs PBXs to send fax traffic to an Internet Application Device (IAD) where it is converted to SIP/T38. At that point CTAP FaxShield takes control and checks to ensure the recipient is on the company allowed database or approved EBR (established business relationship). If the recipient is on the allowed list, the fax continues through. If not, FaxShield begins the process of checking state and federal “Do Not Fax” lists. If the proposed recipient is found to be on one of these lists, the fax is sent back to the originator to solicit approval. A link is provided for the originator to send an approval form to the proposed recipient who then signs and returns an image of the form. Once CTAP FaxShield receives the signed form, it updates the database. The recipient is now on the company allowed database for receiving future faxes.
CTAP FaxShield is easy to implement and offers broad geographic scalability to support an infinite number of calls, giving it the ability to support growth efficiently and economically.
“We are very committed to providing our customers innovative solutions to keep their businesses running smoothly and profitably,” said Adams. “Businesses are looking for more control over their communications services today, and CTAP FaxShield is an example of how we assist our customers in protecting the rights and privacy of their clients in a very technologically efficient and cost-effective manner.”
About CTAP
CTAP, Converged Technology Application Partners, provides state-of-the-art telecommunications products and services nationwide, implementing the convergence of voice and data network solutions as well as the applications that ride on this infrastructure, giving customers the competitive advantage they need to be successful in today’s economy. CTAP is uniquely positioned as a system integrator that has the capability to manage both the customers’ network as well as premise requirements. In concert with joint partnerships, CTAP provides best of class services and solutions. CTAP is privately held and headquartered in Richardson, Texas. For more information, please visit the Web site at www.ctap.com or call (888) 879-2827.
