On Tuesday, Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill urged the U.S. Senate to enact the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act, legislation to curb illegal robocalls and spoofing. A coalition of 54 attorneys general sent a letter to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation supporting the TRACED Act. The legislation is sponsored by Senators John Thune, R-S.D., and Ed Markey, D-Mass.
Hill
“Everyone deserves to be able to enjoy peace and privacy without the interruption of unwanted calls,” Hill said. “We need stronger measures aimed at stopping illegal robocalling. This legislation would be a definite step in the right direction.”
In their letter, the attorneys general state that the TRACED Act enables states, federal regulators and telecom providers to take steps to combat these illegal calls. The legislation will require voice service providers to participate in a call authentication framework to help block unwanted calls and creates an interagency working group to take additional actions to reduce robocalls and hold telemarketers and robocallers accountable.
More than 48 billion robocalls were made in 2018, making them the number one source of consumer complaints to the FTC and the FCC and resulting in millions in consumer losses. The state attorneys general work to enforce do-not-call laws and protect consumers in their states from being harassed and scammed by robocalls.
Hill is joined in sending this letter by the attorneys general of all 50 states, the District of Columbia and three U.S. territories.