WASHINGTON, DC - House Energy and Commerce Republican Leader Greg Walden (R-OR) discussed in an interview with Stuart Varney on Varney & Co. how bipartisan legislation, the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act, will help end the illegal phone calls that have been plaguing American consumers.
WATCH → How this legislation will stop robocalls
It gives them the authority to use authentication equipment to shut it down. I’ve met with the CEO of AT&T. He’s ready to go. We gave the FCC new authority last year in the RAY BAUM’s Act to start this process. We’re doubling down now. Look, I want you to remember one number Stuart: 47.8 billion. That’s the number of robocalls nationwide last year. We got to put an end to this. It’s fraud, it disrupts our communications systems, it threatens your personal privacy and it really messes up your day.
WATCH → Will robocalls be completely eliminated if the law is passed?
It will be pretty close. They can do it. The carriers have told me they have the ability to do it because they can authenticate the real number and block them. We’re giving them [carriers] the authority to give consumers this call blocking authority and then you would opt-out if you didn’t want it, so it’s your choice, but it will be on there at the beginning as opposed to adding it later on. Then they’re going to report back to Congress and tell us how they’re doing. So I think it’s really important. They’re keyed into this. They know they got to fix this. They have the technology. We’re giving them the authority. We’re going to get this done.
WATCH → Robocalls are a “menace" to everyone
While it disrupts your newsroom, we have testimony from a cancer center - same thing happens there. Can you imagine, Stuart, you get the call and it shows the cancer center you’ve been going to and it turns out it’s a fraud? And it disrupts the doctors so this is a menace all the way around and we’re going after it and with the partnership with the phone providers. They’ve got the technology, we’re giving them the authority. We’re going to shut this down.
