President Trump signed bipartisan legislation that gives the federal government new tools to protect consumers from annoying robocalls, the White House said.
The bill, which passed the House 417-3 and the Senate unanimously, strengthens the enforcement power of the Federal Communications Commission to fine robocallers and to block “spoofed” numbers that are intended to appear to be coming from the phone user’s area code without charging consumers.
“This historic legislation will provide American consumers with even greater protection against annoying unsolicited robocalls,” White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement released Monday evening after the bill’s signing. “American families deserve control over their communications, and this legislation will update our laws and regulations to stiffen penalties, increase transparency, and enhance government collaboration to stop unwanted solicitation.”
The legislation gives the FCC the ability to step up enforcement against scammers and allows for steeper fines.
It also encourages the Justice Department to pursue prosecutions against criminal robocallers.
The law is a “big victory,” Consumer Reports’ Maureen Mahoney told the Associated Press. “The key is requiring these phone companies to help stop the calls before they reach the consumer and do it at no additional charge.”
The surge of robocalls is the result of companies using cheap software to make mass calls.
YouMail, which charts the number of robocalls nationwide, said nearly 54 billion such calls were made across the US in 2019.
Consumers receive an average of 164 robocalls each year.