The TRACED Act (Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act) was sponsored by Senators John Thune (R-SD), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Roger Wicker (R-MS). Its purpose is to combat robocalls with stronger deterrents. As the volume of illegal calls has increased, so has the attention of regulators. They are especially concerned about calls from scammers who target vulnerable people, such as the elderly, to steal their personal information.
The TRACED Act includes the following provisions:
- Increases the penalty per robocall from $1,500 to an amount up to $10,000.
- Increases the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) authority to prosecute illegal call violators placed not just in the past year but for a period up to three years.
- Creates a working group of federal enforcement agencies such as the Justice Department, FCC, Federal Trade Commission, and the Department of Homeland Security to work with state attorneys general to identify new methods for deterring illegal calls and finding better ways to prosecute the perpetrators.
- Requires voice service providers to have a call authentication service in place that would enable carriers to determine authentic vs. inauthentic calls before they reach customers. If enacted, carriers would have 18 months to setup a framework in their internet protocol networks.
If the TRACED Act is passed, expect the creation of a new inter-agency task force.
