The current, pro-deregulation FCC is mostly happy with the decision. Chairman Ajit Pai called the rule a "misguided decision" and said the agency needed to focus on "bad actors." Banks and credit card providers were certainly eager to quash this particular rule -- they were worried that they'd break the law through some calls to their customers.

Not everyone is happy, however. FCC commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel has warned that robocalling is "already out of control," and argued that the volume of spam calls would "continue to increase" unless the FCC offered a "serious response."

The commission has taken some action against robocalls, such as measures that let telecoms block spoofed calls. However, the question is whether or not these efforts have any teeth. Critics have complained that the anti-spoofing rule doesn't require blocking, and there are questions about the FCC's definition of an autodialer in the wake of this latest ruling. Will it set up a narrower definition, or just leave the concept open to interpretation? While the ruling could prevent spurious lawsuits, it could also make it harder to pin down robocallers in some circumstances.