Warner, Kaine Applaud Senate Passage of Bill to Crack Down on Illegal Robocall Scams

Statement

Today, the Senate overwhelmingly passed bipartisan legislation cosponsored by U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine to crack down on illegal robocall scams. The Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act gives regulators more time to find scammers, increases civil forfeiture penalties for those who are caught, requires service providers to adopt call authentication and blocking, and brings relevant federal agencies and state attorneys general together to address impediments to criminal prosecution of robocallers who intentionally break laws.

"Americans are sick and tired of receiving fraudulent robocalls," said the Senators. "We are proud the Senate passed this bill to help protect consumers from scams and ensure those behind these illegal robocalls are held accountable."

One report estimated the number of spam calls will grow from nearly 30 percent of all phone calls last year to 45 percent of all calls this year. The TRACED Act gives the FCC more flexibility to enforce rules in the short term, while setting in motion consultations to increase prosecutions of violations, which often require international cooperation.

The bill now heads to the House for consideration.

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