McAdams votes for measure to put an end to illegal robocalls

Statement

Congressman Ben McAdams voted for a measure to put an end to illegal robocalls and to hold violators responsible by imposing fines and streamlining enforcement action. The Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act, (S. 151) is an agreement between similar Senate and House bills designed to put Americans back in charge of their phones. McAdams signed on to H.R. 3375 -- the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act, a similar measure, which passed the House in July by a vote of 429-3.

The legislation allows the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to fine robocall or "spoofing" violators as much as $10,000 per violation, with additional penalties of up to $10,000 for intentional violations. "Spoofing" is the practice of making calls with misleading caller identification information.

"Illegal robocalls are annoying, disruptive and often a way to perpetrate phone scams," said McAdams. "This legislation will require telephone carriers to verify calls and to block robocalls in a consistent and transparent way, all at no extra charge to consumers."

McAdams said the measure, which includes parts of a House-passed robocall bill, would ensure that the FCC, working with the Federal Trade Commission, would report to Congress on its enforcement efforts, including the numbers of complaints, citations issued, and fines imposed. The measure doesn't change the exception that allows robocalls to be made to individuals who have a previous relationship with the caller, such as a business's customers.

In addition, the FCC would have to launch action to protect consumers from "one-ring" scams, in which a call is ended very shortly after it's made to prompt the called party to return the call, subjecting them to charges.

The legislation now goes to the President for his signature.

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