Call / Dispatch Centers as Brokers of Regulated Services

December 2, 2020

April 1, 2016
The question has been asked whether "call-centers" or "dispatch centers" are regulated under Chapter 1702. Typically these entities serve as brokers for regulated services, and the service is actually provided by a licensed company.

If the call center is simply facilitating a transaction by bringing customers and license holders together, and does not itself perform a regulated service, no license is required. The brokering of regulated services is not necessarily regulated under Chapter 1702.

On the other hand, if through advertising or otherwise the call center expressly offers to provide the regulated service, and fails to explain in its advertisements or otherwise that the services are actually provided by licensees and not the broker or call center itself, then the entity is technically in violation of Chapter 1702 for offering to perform a regulated service. If the promotional materials indicate the regulated services are provided exclusively by licensed service providers, and that the entity is not itself involved in the provision of regulated services, then there is no violation. Whether a specific entity is in violation of Chapter 1702 is dependent on the specific manner in which the service is advertised and the nature of the relationship between the entity and the licensed companies.