May 23, 2019
Background: Today the U.S. Senate approved the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act, a bill to bolster the FCC’s ability to stop illegal robocalls.
USTelecom leads the Industry Traceback Group, nearly 30 participants from across the wireline, wireless, VoIP and cable industries that actively traces and identifies the source of illegal robocalls and coordinates with federal and state law enforcement agencies to bring perpetrators to justice.
The following statement can be attributed to Jonathan Spalter, president and CEO of USTelecom:
“This is a very big deal for industry’s multi-pronged effort to battle back against illegal robocalls. Today the Senate delivered a loud and clear message to the criminals who scam and spoof consumers: more blocking, more fines and more criminal enforcement is coming.
“USTelecom is on the barricades of this anti-robocall movement. We are investing millions of dollars in state-of-the-art authentication and verification technologies, partnering daily with federal and state law and civil enforcement officials to trace illegal calls, and everyday offering more tools and apps for consumers to reclaim their devices.
“Thank you to Senators Thune and Markey for writing this important consumer protection bill with more resources for the federal government to meet the illegal robocall challenge. We urge the House to pass companion legislation quickly and get this critical new law on the books for all consumers.”
Learn more about USTelecom’s anti-illegal robocall work at the USTelecom Robocall Action Center.