U.S. House Passes Bipartisan Bill to Begin ‘Stopping Bad Robocalls’

Spam Caller Via The Verge Credit: The Verge
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A bipartisan group of House lawmakers have announced a compromise on a bill that could help stem the rising tide of robocalls in the U.S.

The so-called Stopping Bad Robocalls Act, put forward by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, will outlaw a slew of robocall tactics used both by businesses and bad actors. It’ll also give the government much more power to penalize spam callers and robocallers who break the law, The Washington Post reported.

For one, the legislation would require the FCC to update its definition of a robocall. That could lead to many more companies needing to get consent before they call a customer. It will also force the FCC to keep up with the times and ensure that it outlaws any new or updated robocall technology.

Additionally, it will also demand that wireless carriers speed up their implementation of call authentication systems like SHAKEN/STIR. While the major carriers are rolling out the system, progress has been relatively slow.

If the bill passes, carriers would have up to a year and a half to comply.

Smaller or more rural carriers may need to find alternate options if they don’t have the resources to implement call authentication systems.

One of the more important elements of the bill, at least when it comes to stopping robocalls, is meant to make it easier to investigate and enforce anti-robocall rules.

Robocalls are a worsening problem for most Americans. According to YouMail, about 5 billion robocalls were made last month alone — roughly double the amount made in the same month two years ago.

And while they’re mostly just annoying for many Americans, some robocalls can be dangerous. Many scam callers use robocall technology to try and elicit sensitive or personal information from recipients.

In addition to the House, the Senate is moving ahead with its own legislation called the TRACED Act — it’s similar but is missing the robocall redefinition and requirement of consent. The FCC, app makers, carriers and device makers are implementing their own anti-spam call systems and tactics.

The House’s Stopping Bad Robocalls Act is slated for an early panel vote next week. Try the Call Control app to begin blocking robocallers right now.

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