US House Robocalling Bill

Six members introduced the Locking Up Robocallers Act of 2019, which directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to provide evidence of unlawful robocall violations to the Attorney General.  The bill is intended to strengthen enforcement of current robocall laws aimed at ending the scourge of predatory robocalls.  It would also require the FCC to provide annual reports to Congress containing the number of times the FCC provided evidence of unlawful robocalls to the Attorney General and a summary of the types of violations to which such evidence related. The bill was introduced by Congressman Donald McEachin (D-VA), Congressman Pete Olson (R-TX), Congressman Andy Kim (D-NJ), Congresswoman Susan W. Brooks (R-IN), Congressman Anthony Brindisi (D-NY) and Congressman David Kustoff (R-TN).

“Robocalls can be a nuisance or even predatory,” said McEachin. “This bill will allow for greater transparency and oversight over the enforcement of robocaller infractions which is desperately needed at a time when robocalls are on the rise. I am proud to join my colleagues in introducing this bipartisan legislation that will help protect Americans from these unwanted calls.” 

"The constant interruption from unwanted and illegal robocalls disrupt and aggravate all Americans," said Olson. “The Locking Up Illegal Robocallers Act will provide important information to the Department of Justice, so they can fully prosecute criminals who engage in deceptive and illegal robocall practices. I'm proud to work on this bipartisan issue to help Texans hang up on harassing robocalls. I thank my colleagues for helping on this critical issue and hope we can pass it on the floor soon.”

“These robocalls aren’t just annoying, they’re a tool for fraud aimed at members in our community and they must be stopped,” said Kim. “I’m proud to join my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to bring this solution to the table. I look forward to working together to get this passed into law and give New Jersey residents the relief from this predatory behavior they deserve.”

“Robocalls are disruptive and often prey on our communities’ most vulnerable populations in hopes to capitalize off of their private and personal information,” said Brooks. “With these kinds of scams on the rise, we must do more to protect consumers by ensuring those who violate the law are prosecuted. The Locking Up Illegal Robocallers Act is a bipartisan bill we can all support that works to diminish the dangerous telemarketing scams Hoosiers and people across the country face daily by better providing law enforcement the information they need in order to put a stop to fraudulent robocalls.”

 “Upstate New Yorkers are fed up with intrusive and unwanted robocalls,” said Brindisi. “These calls aren’t just annoying, they are dangerous and can scam hard-working Americans out of time and money. I'm proud to support the bipartisan Locking Up Robocallers Act to make sure law enforcement officials have the information they need to put an end to these scam calls and financial frauds”

“I have heard from countless people throughout West Tennessee who are tired of the endless stream of harassing robocalls,” said Kustoff. “Robocalls are illegal, abusive, dangerous and anyone with a phone can fall victim to them. I look forward to getting this bipartisan legislation passed into law and finally put an end to these scams.”

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

The Regulatory Mix Today:  US House Robocalling Bill, FCC Telehealth Initiative

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

FCC Telehealth Initiative

FCC Commissioner Carr announced that the FCC will be voting at its July 10th meeting to advance a $100 million Connected Care Pilot Program to support telehealth for low-income Americans across the country, including those living in rural areas and veterans.  The Notice will seek comment on:

• Budgeting for $100 million in USF support for health care providers to defray the qualifying costs of connected care services for low-income patients, including people in medically underserved areas and veterans.
• Targeting support for innovative pilot projects to respond to a variety of health challenges, including diabetes management, opioid dependency, high-risk pregnancies, pediatric heart disease, and cancer.
• Providing an 85% discount on qualifying services for a three-year period with controls in place to measure and verify the benefits, costs, and savings associated with connected care technologies.
• Collecting relevant data to enable stakeholders to better understand the impact of telehealth and consider broader reforms that can support the trend toward connected care.
•  

____________________________

The Regulatory Mix, Inteserra’s blog of telecom related regulatory activities, is a snapshot of PUC, FCC, legislative, and occasionally court issues that our regulatory monitoring team uncovers each day. Depending on their significance, some items may be the subject of an Inteserra Briefing.