INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The Pallone-Thrune TRACED Act, a bipartisan bit of legislation that should make life harder for the villains behind robocalls, was signed
into law today by the president
It still possible to get things done in D.C
after all!
We&ve covered the TRACED Act several times previously, as robocalls are, in addition to being horribly annoying, a uniquely
annoying high-tech threat
Using clever targeting and spoofing technology, scammers are placing millions of calls that at best irritate and at worst take advantage of
the vulnerable.
The new law won&t end that practice overnight, but it does add some useful tools to regulators& toolboxes
Here how I summarized the bill provisions earlier this month:
Extends FCC statute of limitations on robocall offenses and increases
potential fines
Requires an FCC rulemaking helping protect consumers from spam calls and texts (this is already underway)
Requires annual
FCC report on robocall enforcement and allows for it to formally recommend legislation
Requires adoption on a reasonable timeline of the
STIR/SHAKEN framework for preventing call spoofing
Prevents carriers from charging for the above service, and shields them from liability
for reasonable mistakes
Requires the attorney general to convene an interagency task force to look at prosecution of offenders
Opens the
door to Justice Department prosecution of offenders
Establishes a handful of specific cutouts and studies to make sure the rules work and
interested parties are giving feedback
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) took a break from other business to laud the enactment of
the law:
Americans were battered by 48 billion robocalls last year.
I get them, too
They need to stop.
I&m so proud I fought for the #TRACEDact to protect Americans from these annoying, persistent, - dangerous calls.
And I&m
so proud it now law.https://t.co/HgNjuRiQXe
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) December 31, 2019
And FCC Chairman Ajit Pai praise was effusive
in a statement his office sent along:
I applaud Congress for working in a bipartisan manner to combat illegal robocalls and malicious caller
And I thank the President and Congress for the additional tools and flexibility that this law affords us
Specifically, I am glad that the agency now has a longer statute of limitations during which we can pursue scammers and I welcome the
removal of a previously-required warning we had to give to unlawful robocallers before imposing tough penalties.
And I thank the American
people for never letting us forget how fed up they are with scam, spoofed robocalls
It their voices that power our never-ceasing push to fight back against the scourge of robocalls and malicious spoofing.
Of course the new
law isn&t a magic wand; The FCC is still limited in what it can do and how quickly it can act
Even major fines like this $120 million one have had a negligible effect on the nefarious industry
&Like emptying the ocean with a teaspoon,& said Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel at the time.
Here hoping the TRACED Act amounts to more
We&ll find out as regulators and the mobile industry grow into their new capabilities and begin the long process of actually applying them
It may take months or more to see any real abatement, but at least we&re taking concrete steps.
