The Senate yesterday overwhelmingly approved the TRACED Act, which aims to stiffen penalties against illegal robocallers and give the Federal Communications Commission more time to take an enforcement action against a perpetrator of illegal robocalls.
The bill, known as the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act, which had more than 80 co-sponsors, was approved by a vote of 97-to-1 and now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.
If enacted, the bill would:
- Allow the Federal Communications Commission to assess fines of up to $10,000 per call on individuals who “flout telemarketing restrictions”
- Give the FCC up to three years to take enforcement action against a perpetrator, up from one year currently.
- Create a task force of state and federal regulators, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, FCC, and Federal Trade Commission to suggest ideas to promote deterrence and improve criminal prosecution of robocallers.
- Require carriers to adopt call authentication technology, allowing them to ensure calls are legitimate before allowing them to be connected
- Direct the FCC to create a rule aimed at protecting individuals from receiving unwanted calls or text messages.
Along with broad support in the Senate, the bill has been backed by most attorneys general across the country, consumer advocates, as well as the FCC and Federal Trade Commission.
The TRACED Act is being labeled as the “most significant piece of legislation” aimed at illegal robocalls, according to a published report
