Justices disagreed on whether lawsuits under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act should be filed in federal or state courts, but they agreed that the law was odd.

Plenty of people rely on a quick glance at their phone’s caller ID screen to decide whether a call is worth picking up. But caller ID is not foolproof. Regulators in many states have been hearing increasing numbers of complaints about spoofing.

Regulators are hearing more complaints about “caller ID spoofing” or “call laundering” by telemarketers.

The call center business is a powerful driving force behind the Indian and Philippines economies. It isn’t totally surprising that scam artists are plying their trade in this burgeoning industry. What is a little surprising is that call centres are the mark, not gullible senior citizens trying to enjoy a quiet evening meal.

Federal law protects cellphone customers from receiving automated calls without consent, but the government and industry groups want to change what “consent” means.