The new rules of the Bill Decree limit the actions of energy call centers and protect consumers. However, for now, telephone operators remain excluded
Stop (or almost) commercial calls about electricity and gas at any time of the day. From today the crackdown on energy telemarketing envisaged by the Bills decree comes into force. Companies in the energy sector will no longer be able to contact customers without explicit consent and contracts signed over the telephone, without this green light, will be void.
What changes from June 19th for commercial calls on electricity and gas
The rule is simple: electricity and gas operators can no longer use telephone calls or messages to propose or conclude supply contracts, unless the consumer has made a direct request to the seller (via website, app, online form) or is already a customer of the company and has given specific consent to be contacted. Except for these two cases, commercial telephone calls cannot take place and any contract concluded over the telephone is considered null and void. Call centers will still be able to continue to provide information on products via telephone, but will no longer be able to have contracts signed without the user’s prior consent.
The innovation aims to eliminate the economic incentive for unfair call centers that contact users with aggressive or deceptive practices. The burden of proof is reversed: the seller will have to demonstrate that the call respected the rules, thus protecting the consumer. The overall objective is to discourage harassing phone calls by making them economically disadvantageous.
Short numbers and caller identification: what is still missing
However, there is the question of how to recognize unwanted calls. In April, Agcom approved the introduction of short three-digit numbers, to make authorized operators, companies and call centers immediately identifiable. However, the system is not yet operational because a technical discussion is underway to define how it can be used. For this reason, from 19 June it will not yet be possible to distinguish regular call centers from incorrect ones at a glance. Meanwhile, the anti-spoofing filter introduced at the end of 2025 has already blocked over 49 million illicit calls in the first 11 days, without however completely eliminating aggressive telemarketing.
Fixed and mobile telephony: the missing link
Then there is a sector which, at least for now, remains outside the new rules: the telecommunications. The extension of the same rules to telemarketing for fixed and mobile telephony had been included in the Excise decree, but was eliminated by the Government after the observations received from the Quirinale on the lack of homogeneity of the rules contained in the provision. Result? Telephone companies will be able to continue to contact consumers with the old rules, without the constraints just introduced for electricity and gas.
With the new rules on electricity and gas, protections against contracts activated without explicit consent are strengthened, but prudence remains fundamental. Before accepting any telephone proposal, it is always advisable not to communicate personal or banking details and to check directly with your supplier. In the fight against aggressive telemarketing, consumers now have an additional tool to defend themselves from incorrect practices and unwanted activations. But the phone calls won’t disappear, at least for now.
