Protecting Consumers from Robocalls

Summary#

This bill would change parts of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. It would remove the word "residential" from several Do Not Call rules so those rules apply to all telephone subscribers. It would change the private right to sue so a single telephone call by or on behalf of an entity can be the basis for a legal claim (the bill replaces the existing text that required more than one call in 12 months). The bill directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to revise related regulations within 270 days. It also changes the definition of an "automatic telephone dialing system" to include dialing from a list of numbers and to cover dialing numbers successively without human intervention.

What it means for you#

• The Do Not Call protections described in the law would cover all telephone subscribers, not only residential lines.
• Under the revised private right of action, a single call to a subscriber could be the basis for a lawsuit if it violates the Do Not Call rules.
• The FCC must update its rules within 270 days after the bill becomes law.
• The definition of an automatic dialing system would be broader and could include systems that call numbers from a list or call numbers successively without a person intervening.

Expenses#

No publicly available information.

Proponents' View#

The bill text and title show it is intended to expand Do Not Call protections, broaden the private right of action for calls that violate those rules, and clarify the definition of an automatic telephone dialing system. The sponsors listed in the provided material introduced the measure.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.