Bipartisan legislation is expected to pass in the House before the August recess.
7/22/2019 15:00
The Stopping Bad Robocalls Act (H.R. 3375) is moving ahead in Congress as attention to the issue of mitigating illegal robocalls to consumers, and their impact on businesses, is growing in Washington. ACA is laser-focused on ensuring legitimate businesses can deploy modern communications methods to contact consumers while supporting regulatory enforcement against bad actors.
As part of that advocacy effort, ACA will submit comments in response to the Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking released by the Federal Communications Commission concerning an appropriate SHAKEN/STIR implementation framework. This is the next stage of a lengthy process the FCC is engaging in to address the issue of robocalls and to develop requirements for blocking and authenticating calls. ACA encourages its members to submit comments to the FCC by July 24.
Meanwhile, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer's (D-Md.) website indicates that House legislative business beginning at noon Eastern July 24 includes H.R. 3375. The last votes of the week are expected no later than 3 p.m. Eastern Friday.
Last week, H.R. 3375, sponsored by Chairman U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J. and Ranking Member U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., advanced out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee with several amendments, ACA previously reported.
It includes an important amendment from Pallone Jr. and Walden to ensure there is no additional charge to callers for resolving complaints related to erroneously blocked calls.
The bipartisan legislation also includes a requirement for the FCC to provide clarity on its definition of an automatic telephone dialing system within six months of the legislation’s effective date if it is approved by Congress and signed into law, ACA previously reported.
The legislation also addresses several issues with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, including reassigned numbers, and includes similar language to the FCC Declaratory Ruling concerning a default opt-out for call blocking services.
Following a vote in the House, if H.R. 3375 is approved, it could face some opposition not only from industry stakeholders but also from the Senate for failing to consider components of the more modest TRACED Act, S. 151, ACA previously reported.
Senate and House leaders are expected to discuss the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act and the TRACED Act when Congress returns to Capitol Hill in September and ACA continues to urge Congress to narrow the focus of the legislation on bad actors.
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Bipartisan Legislation on Robocalls Advances to Full House of Representatives