Senate Passes Bipartisan TRACED Act to Combat Illegal Robocalls
The Senate passes the TRACED Act, a bipartisan bill requiring carriers to block robocalls using new authentication technology. The legislation now heads to the President's desk for a final signature.
The Senate passes the TRACED Act with strong bipartisan support, sending the legislation to the White House for the President's signature. This bill requires telecommunications carriers to implement the STIR/SHAKEN authentication framework to prevent call spoofing and stop illegal robocalls before they reach consumers. Carriers are not allowed to charge customers for this call-blocking service.
The new law significantly increases the FCC's ability to punish robocall offenders by extending the statute of limitations for these violations and raising potential fines. It also mandates the FCC to create new rules protecting consumers from spam texts and calls, while requiring the agency to publish annual reports on its enforcement actions.
Additionally, the TRACED Act directs the Attorney General to convene an interagency task force to improve the prosecution of relentless robocall scammers. The legislation includes specific provisions for ongoing studies and feedback to ensure the rules remain effective over time, offering Americans real relief from these constant and illegal interruptions.