News

Actions

House passes bill in latest step to fight robocalls

Posted at 6:03 PM, Jul 24, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-24 18:03:41-04

The House has passed a bill aimed at combatting robocalls, the latest attempt to counter the wave of spam calls as complaints pile up.

Federal agencies have also stepped up anti-robocall measures, allowing carriers to block unwanted calls by default and encouraging the wireless industry to roll out technology that guarantees the number showing up on your caller ID isn’t faked to fool you into answering a scammer.

The Senate passed a bill similar to the House one, the Traced Act, in May, with near-unanimous support. The House version, the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act, goes further in attempting to stop companies from making telemarketing calls. Both bills have support from consumer groups and the telecom industry.

The House has passed the robocall bill by a 429-3 vote.