House Passes Legislation to Crack Down on Unwanted and Predatory Robocalls

Statement

Late yesterday afternoon, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved legislation to crack down on unwanted and predatory robocalls. The House vote was 417-3. The Senate is expected to approve the bill in the near future and send it to the desk of President Trump for his expected signature.

"Vermonters are fed up with intrusive robocalls that are annoying at best and predatory at worst," said Welch. "These calls often originate from scam artists intent on ripping off unsuspecting consumers, particularly seniors. This bill gives the FCC the tools it needs to be the cop on the beat to go after these bad actors."

Specifically, the TRACED Act will:

-Ensure the FCC has the authority to take decisive action to track down robocallers violating the law;
-Allow consumers to revoke prior consent to receive calls;
-Require carriers to offer call-authentication technology to consumers and small businesses--in rural and urban America--at no additional charge;
-Require opt-in or opt-out robocall blocking be offered at no additional charge to consumers;
-Require the FCC to work to stop one-ring scams; and
-Extend the statute of limitations from one to four years for robocallers violating the law.

In May, Welch was joined at an airport press conference by Vermont Attorney General TJ Donovan and Shelburne senior Kathryn Ottinger to highlight legislation he cosponsored to tackle the problem. Mrs. Ottinger shared her experience of being bombarded at her home by daily robocalls.

During House debate on the bill, Welch spoke about how the bill would benefit Mrs. Ottinger and other Vermonters.

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