Legislation would boost call authentication, call blocking, and penalties for scammers

Washington (April 3, 2019) – The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee today unanimously passed the bipartisan Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act, legislation introduced by Senator John Thune (R-S.D.), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet, and Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), House author of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). The TRACED Act gives regulators more time to find robocall scammers, increases penalties for violators, promotes call authentication and blocking adoption, and brings federal agencies and state attorneys general together to address obstacles to criminal prosecution of robocallers who intentionally flout laws.

“We’re sending a message today to fraudulent robocallers: your days are numbered,” said Senator Markey. “Today, the Senate took an important step toward finally ending the deluge of unwanted and intrusive robocalls bombarding millions of consumers each and every day.  Now that the Senate Commerce Committee has unanimously passed the bipartisan TRACED Act, the time has come for Congress to enshrine these crucial protections into law.”

A remarkable 54 state and territory attorneys general sent a letter of support for the TRACED Act, and all Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Commissioners, major industry associations, and leading consumer groups put their support behind the legislation.

A copy of the TRACED Act, as introduced, can be found HERE.

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