Senators Push FCC to Enforce Robocall Regulations

Warner and Colleagues Rally Behind Stronger Measures Against Spam Calls

In a unanimous bid against the widespread menace of robocalls, U.S. Senator Mark Warner, backed by a number of senators, is urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to enforce its existing regulations on telemarketing calls. This comes as a renewed effort to safeguard citizens from a barrage of unwanted spam calls that have plagued phone lines across the nation.

Warner, in conjunction with Senators Ben Ray Luján, Edward Markey, and several other influential figures, has penned a letter to Chairwoman Rosenworcel of the FCC. Their central request is for the FCC to issue guidance, mirroring the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) recent Business Guidance, to reiterate its long-standing requirements against such unsolicited telemarketing calls. The proposed guidance aims to clarify the path for telemarketers and sellers to abide by these mandates.

“While new regulations might be a point of consideration, the FCC’s present regulations already address many of the activities leading to the surge of these bothersome calls,” the senators collectively voiced. They highlighted past regulations from 2003 and 2012, both of which explicitly define the protections Congress envisioned to curb unwanted telemarketing intrusions.

Senator Warner, leveraging his background as a cell phone entrepreneur, has been a formidable advocate against robocalls for years. His sponsorship of the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act provided regulators, including the FCC, enhanced authority and resources to target scammers, levy penalties, and mandated service providers to adopt measures for call authentication and blocking. This act was given the green light by Former President Trump in 2019, marking a significant stride in the anti-robocall campaign.

Joining the robust group of senators advocating for this cause are names like Chris Van Hollen, Elizabeth Warren, Richard Durbin, and Amy Klobuchar, to mention a few. Endorsing their stance is a commendable list of consumer and privacy organizations, ranging from the Consumer Federation of America and Electronic Privacy Information Center to U.S. PIRG.

This collective effort from legislators and consumer protection entities illuminates the urgency to curb the robocall menace. With such a unified stand, there’s hope for phone lines to be less burdened by these incessant and unwarranted interruptions.

The full text of the letter is available here.