The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) believes debt collection is an important issue for consumers. In this discussion, CFPB asked for input about the debt collection system, about consumer experiences, and about how new rules for debt collectors might better protect consumers without imposing unnecessary burdens on industry. During the time commenting was open, 8480 people visited RegulationRoom and 224 people posted 956 comments. Many people joined the discussion to share stories about their own debt collection experience. Posts on debt collection litigation and use of phones and mobile phones in debt collections were the most popular.

The mortgage crisis revealed that some residential mortgage lenders weren’t doing a good job of communicating with borrowers and keeping detailed records. Some of this affected all borrowers, but the worst effect was that some people, who could have worked out their problems with the right help, lost their homes. Congress has told the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to adopt new federal regulations to avoid this in the future. 8,908 people visited RegulationRoom to learn about and discuss two new proposed Home Mortgage Consumer Protection rules. When issuing the final rules, CFPB recognized the input of the 67 RegulationRoom users who contributed 236 comments.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) proposed a regulation that would require air travel websites, as well as automated airport check-in kiosks, to be made accessible to people with disabilities. During the time the rule was open for comment, there were 7,949 visitors to RegulationRoom and 31 people posted 103 comments on how websites and kiosks could be made accessible to travelers with disabilities and the technical standards companies should meet.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) proposed a rule that would have required commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers to record their hours of service (HOS) using electronic on board recorders (EOBRs) instead of paper logs. All long-haul operations and some short-haul operations would have been affected. 68 RegulationRoom users, the majority who identified themselves as CMV drivers, posted 235 comments on issues including: who would have to use an EOBR, privacy concerns, cost, when the rule would take effect, and changes to penalties and enforcement.

More than 19,000 visitors to RegulationRoom posted over 900 comments on a Department of Transportation (DOT) proposal that would give airline passengers more protections, including increased bumping compensation, more tarmac delay rules, and better information about extra fees and flight status. The Regulation Room team summarized these comments and submitted the final summary to DOT. On April 21, 2011 DOT announced its decision. Regulation Room comments played an important part in shaping the final rule that gives airline passengers significant new protections.

3,665 people visited Regulation Room during the comment period for the first in a set of new proposed federal regulations from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). The rule on Limiting the Use of Wireless Communication Devices was being proposed by FMCSA to address distracted driving by truckers, bus drivers, and other commercial motor vehicle (CMV) operators.

RegulationRoom ran a test commenting period from November 12-22, 2009 on a proposed National Highway Transportation Safety Administration rule: Tire Fuel Efficiency Consumer Information Program. Although the official comment period had closed for this rule, as part of the beta test of RegulationRoom, users were encouraged to learn about, react to, and discuss the proposed rule.