New law designed to reduce robocalls
Table of Contents
If you are tired of robocalls — and who isn’t? — there's some good news.
President Trump yesterday signed into law a bill designed to crack down on those calls.
The Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrents Act (TRACED) Act gives regulators more time to find scammers, increased civil forfeiture penalties for those who are caught, requires service providers to adopt call authentication and blocking and brings federal agencies and state attorneys generals together to address impediments to criminal prosecution of robocallers who are intentionally breaking laws.
Virginia Senator Mark Warner co-sponsored the Senate version of the bill, which passed 97-1 in May. Warner believes the new law will help crack down on the estimated 26 billion robocalls Americans received last year.
“The bipartisan bill would require service providers to stop these calls before they reach your phone,” he said. It would also give regulators new tools to crack down on the spammers behind illegal robocalls and impose stricter penalties on the worst robocall offenders.”
The House passed an amended version of the bill last month, and the Senate voted unanimously to send the bill to President Trump Dec. 18.
The new law allows the Federal Communications Commission to bring civil penalties of up to $10,000 per call on anyone who is intentionally flouting telemarketing restrictions.
