WASHINGTON, DC - Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Greg Walden (R-OR) and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Republican Leader Bob Latta (R-OH) released the following statement after the President signed their anti-robocalls bill, the Pallone-Thune TRACED Act, into law:
“We are closing the books on 2019 one step closer to closing the books on illegal robocalls. The Pallone-Thune TRACED Act gives phone companies and the government new tools to combat the illegal robocall epidemic. This bipartisan law puts American consumers first by ensuring every call Americans receive is verified and can be blocked at no extra cost to consumers. It also gives the Federal Communications Commission and law enforcement the authority to quickly go after scammers. We applaud the President for signing this commonsense, bipartisan legislation into law. But we are well aware that the bad actors will do all they can to get to consumers, so Congress will need to stay vigilant to protect the American people from illegal calls and scams," Walden and Latta said.
In May, the Senate passed the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act by a vote of 97-1. In July, the House of Representatives passed the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act by an overwhelming vote of 429-3. There were significant differences between the two bills, which were reconciled as part of a bipartisan, bicameral agreement announced by the House and Senate last month. The House of Representatives passed the bill by a vote of 417-3 earlier this month and the Senate passed the legislation by unanimous consent.
The Pallone-Thune TRACED Act:
* Requires carriers to offer call-authentication technology to consumers and small businesses-in rural and urban America-at no additional charge;
* Requires opt-in or opt-out robocall blocking be offered at no additional charge to consumers;
* Gives the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) the ability to step up enforcement actions against unlawful robocalls with a longer statute of limitations and increased fines in certain cases;
* Pushes the Department of Justice to bring more criminal prosecutions against criminal robocallers;
* Requires the FCC to work to stop one-ring scams;
* Helps the FCC and responsible carriers traceback and cutoff suspect phone companies that are responsible for sending vast numbers of unlawful robocalls; and
* Protects patients, doctors, and hospitals from unlawful robocalls.
