Congress tackles robocalls with TRACED Act
ABC15
PHOENIX, AZ — From the bogus Social Security calls to the fake IRS lady, robocalls are reaching consumer’s phones at an increasing rate.
Nearly 48 billion robocalls calls were placed in 2018 according to the Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s Office.
Now Brnovich and every other AG in the country is pushing Congress to pass a bill expected to help curb at least some of those calls.
Proponents of Senate Bill 151 or the TRACED Act say the legislation would:
- Make phone companies implement the technology needed to identify spam numbers before it reaches our phones
- Extend time for Federal Communications Commission to charge and prosecute violators from the current 1 to 3 years
- Increase fines to $10,000 per illegal call
- Make it easier for federal and state law enforcement to share information and resources
- In a letter to a Senate committee, the Attorney General says the bill would help law enforcement and the telecom industry to “take meaningful steps
to abate the rapid proliferation of these illegal and unwanted robocalls.”
Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D) co-sponsored the bi-partisan legislation.
The bill is now awaiting a full vote of the Senate.