FCC Legal Enforcement Act

Summary#

This bill, the FCC Legal Enforcement Act, changes parts of the Communications Act of 1934. It lets the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) start and run lawsuits in its own name to recover unpaid forfeiture penalties for violations of section 227, which covers restrictions on the use of telephone equipment, if the Attorney General does not start an action within 120 days of a referral. The bill also says the FCC should prioritize enforcing unpaid penalties greater than $25,000,000 for section 227 violations. Separately, it adds language to section 227(b)(2) giving the Commission authority to adopt rules "as necessary in the judgment of the Commission to protect subscribers from unwanted calls."

What it means for you#

• The FCC may be able to more directly pursue and collect large unpaid fines tied to illegal use of telephone equipment.
• The agency has explicit authority to set or tighten rules on automated and unwanted calls to protect subscribers, based on its judgment.

Expenses#

No publicly available information on estimated costs or savings is included in the bill text. The bill changes who may prosecute and refers to the costs and expenses of a prosecution, but it does not provide dollar amounts or budget estimates.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.