Bill to Limit Robocalls Moves Forward in Senate

The Senate Commerce Committee today approved a bill to strengthen the FCC's ability to prevent robocalls. The Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence or TRACED Act, enhances the FCC's authority to issue fines against robocallers, extends the statute of limitations, and promotes call authentication and blocking adoption. EPIC has long advocated for robust telephone privacy protections. Last week, EPIC submitted comments to the FCC recommending that the agency (1) require phone providers to block calls from numbers that are unassigned, unallocated, or invalid; (2) prohibit spoofing if there is an intent to defraud or cause harm; and (3) encourage the use of call authentication technology that safeguards caller anonymity. EPIC filed amicus briefs earlier this year and in 2015 that strengthened consumer protections for robocalls.