As part of its ongoing efforts to implement the TRACED Act, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved new safe harbors for phone companies that implement call blocking technologies.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has made enforcement of robocall violations, particularly those involving spoofed numbers, a top priority, particularly since the passage of the TRACED Act at the end of last year.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued letters to three gateway providers demanding that they shut off traffic to overseas robocallers whom the Commissions have identified as engaging in scam calls related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Pallone-Thune TRACED Act was signed into law on December 30, 2019 as a major piece of legislation governing the regulation of robocalls. Last week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) continued its implementation of the TRACED Act, announcing new rules and seeking public comment on another proposed rule.
FCC Announces Formation of Hospital Robocall Protection Group
Last week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the formation of a Hospital Robocall Protection Group. According to the FCC, this group—whose formation is mandated by the TRACED Act—will work to develop best practices for the following:
As robocalls have become an increasingly prominent issue, software developers have produced a bevy of anti-robocall apps. Most of these are variations on a call-blocking theme but one new app takes things much further. DoNotPay’s “robot lawyer” app has a new feature, called Robo Revenge, that essentially baits robocallers into Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) lawsuits.
As we previously noted, the Pennsylvania state legislature passed a bill enacting new restrictions on robocalls. Now governor Tom Wolf has signed that bill into law.
On July 25th, 2019, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), along with its state and federal partners, announced a major crackdown on illegal robocalls. The program, called Operation Call It Quits, includes 94 actions targeting operations responsible for over one billion calls.
Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved a Declaratory Ruling that will allow phone service providers to block robocalls by default. Reasonable call analytics will be used by the services providers to determine if default blocking will be allowed.
On Thursday May 23rd, 2019, the Senate approved the TRACED Act which will dramatically increase fines for illegal robocalls. The bill passed with an overwhelming 97-1 vote. Only a single vote from Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) was against the legislation. The TRACED Act’s next stop is the House of Representatives.