WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) issued the following statement in response to the Federal Communications Commission’s new ruling to allow carriers to block robocalls unless a consumer opts out.
“Today, the FCC made an important new ruling to help protect consumers from robocalls—by allowing carriers to block robocalls, consumers will be free from annoying, unwanted, and potentially fraudulent calls. While this is a promising step, we still must make sure we are protecting consumers’ choice and ensuring that the price of using these call-blocking technologies does not pass to the consumers. That’s why I’ve supported bills like the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act, bipartisan legislation that gives regulators more time to find scammers, increases civil forfeiture penalties, and promotes call authentication and blocking adoption.”
As a member of the Senate Commerce Committee and Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, Klobuchar has been a leader in the fight to protect consumers from robocalls, ticket bots, unauthorized charges on their phone bills, and deceptive practices by fraudulent online travel booking websites. In May, the Klobuchar-backed Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act passed in the Senate. The bipartisan legislation would increase penalties for fraudulent telemarketers, while also implementing measures to proactively protect consumers from receiving unwanted robocalls. In April 2018, Klobuchar joined members of the Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet Subcommittee to introduce the Robocall Enforcement Enhancement Act of 2018. The legislation, led by Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI), would help the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) remove barriers that prevent the agency from pursuing those who violate robocall rules. In 2015, Klobuchar called on the FCC to implement “Do Not Disturb” technology to block telemarketing and unwanted robocalls on both landline and wireless phones.
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