Reed Elsevier Inc., corporate parent of Multichannel News and
Multichannel News Day, asked the Federal Communications Commission
Tuesday to block from taking effect a rule that bans the transmission of fax
advertisements without the recipient's prior written permission.
REI, which sends out millions of business faxes each year, said in the FCC
filing that it needed at least one year to comply with the fax rule if is not
relaxed before then.
The rule is scheduled to take effect Aug. 25, but it could be delayed due to
a review under the Paper Reduction Act by the Office of Management and
Budget.
An array of business interests has joined with REI in urging the FCC to
modify the rule, including the Cable & Telecommunications Association for
Marketing. CTAM president Char Beales called the fax rule "silly and more
costly."
