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Anti-Robocall Bill Passes Senate

posted by Fnord666 on Friday May 24 2019, @01:54AM   Printer-friendly
from the blessed-silence dept.

RandomFactor writes:

On Thursday the US Senate voted to approave a bill strengthening the FCC's powers to address the reviled practice of robocalling.

A bipartisan proposal, the TRACED Act, was introduced by Sens. John Thune (R-SD) and Ed Markey (D-MA). If passed, it would raise the fines the FCC is permitted to levy on robocallers, and increase the statute of limitations for bringing those cases. It would also create an interagency task force to address the problem, and push carriers like AT&T and Verizon to deploy call authentication systems like the pending STIR/SHAKEN protocols into their networks.

FCC chairman Ajit Pai has repeatedly pushed for carriers to deploy STIR/SHAKEN with little apparent movement, and has indicated that if this is not done the FCC will "have to consider regulatory intervention"

It is estimated that last year alone, approximately 48 BILLION robocalls were placed in the United States.

The TRACED Act, which passed with a vote of 97-1, now moves to the House of Representatives. There it will contend with other anti-robocall bills already waiting for consideration.

Earlier this month, Pai proposed new rules to allow carriers to more aggressively block robocalls.

Hopefully lesson 22 will come to our phones.

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 24 2019, @05:31PM (4 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 24 2019, @05:31PM (#847198)

    I don't know. Why don't you read the bill [congress.gov] and report back to us on all the nefarious shit that the "deep state" is hiding in this incredibly devious and freedom destroying bill.

    We all look forward to your detailed report.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 24 2019, @06:30PM (3 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 24 2019, @06:30PM (#847273)

    We’ve already lived through the FCC’s drastic expansion of the TCPA with its 2015 Omnibus Ruling—where the FCC gave itself the power to regulate all calls made by any software-enabled dialing device, including smart phones—which was only recently curtailed by ACA Int’l. What followed was a multiplicity of frivolous lawsuits while true scam robocalls continued to run rampant. So why double down on expansion, especially at a time where the scope the TCPA remains uncertain following ACA Int’l and Marks? Encouraging federal agencies to step up enforcement of the TCPA without a clear definition of robocalls causes dire First Amendment concerns and will only serve to place pressure on the FCC to broaden, rather than narrow, the statute as part of its pending public notice proceeding.

    https://www.natlawreview.com/article/tcpa-expansion-becomes-more-likely-traced-act-gaining-steam-groundswell-bipartisan [natlawreview.com]

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 24 2019, @06:58PM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 24 2019, @06:58PM (#847289)

      What specific portions of the TRACED act will have those consequences?

      You made (well, quoted actually) an assertion. Back it up with evidence, or it's just an unfounded assertion.

      Evidence, motherfucker! Do you have any?

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 24 2019, @07:06PM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 24 2019, @07:06PM (#847293)

        Why would there only be "specific portions" that are relevant?

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 24 2019, @07:53PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 24 2019, @07:53PM (#847320)

          Okay, *any* portions or all of it.

          Anything to support such an assertion.