{"id":187052,"date":"2019-12-20T19:52:19","date_gmt":"2019-12-20T11:52:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/featured\/-1814374\/"},"modified":"2019-12-20T19:52:19","modified_gmt":"2019-12-20T11:52:19","slug":"anti-robocall-bill-fines-criminals-10000-per-call","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/2019\/12\/20\/anti-robocall-bill-fines-criminals-10000-per-call\/","title":{"rendered":"Anti-Robocall Bill Fines Criminals $10,000 Per Call"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FCC rules would benefit “consumers who are sick and tired of robocalls,” Chairman Ajit Pai said (via Icons8\/Unsplash)<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Congress on Thursday approved a major anti-robocall law aimed at curbing unwanted interruptions\u2014and thwarting the scammers behind them.<\/span><\/p>\n

The TRACED (Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence) Act<\/a>, passed by the House and Senate, is on its way to the White House for a final signature.<\/span><\/p>\n

Don’t hold your breath for immediate results: It will take at least 12 to 18 months for the legislation to kick in, at which point it should begin to lessen the overall number of spammy calls.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nearly 54 billion robocalls were placed nationwide so far this year\u2014up from 48 billion in 2018, 31 billion in 2017, and 29 billion in 2016, YouMail reported<\/a>. That’s equal to roughly 164.4 calls per person affected.<\/span><\/p>\n

And I thought my twice-monthly “Unknown Number” interruptions were annoying\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Following their passage in the Senate and House this summer, two separate anti-robocall proposals were reconciled as part of a bipartisan, bicameral agreement: the TRACED Act.<\/span><\/p>\n

The bill requires that carriers adopt technology to help identify legitimate (or not) calls and let consumers opt in or out of blocking<\/a>\u2014at no extra charge.<\/span><\/p>\n

It also allows the government to step up enforcement actions against unlawful robocalls, prosecute the criminals generating them, and hand out penalties of up to $10,000 <\/span>per call<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

“We’re working hard to help the American people get real relief from these relentless and illegal calls,” U.S. Representatives Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), Greg Walden (R-OR), Mike Doyle (D-PA), and Bob Latta said in a joint statement<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

But, as <\/span>The Washington Post<\/span><\/i> pointed out<\/a>, these disruptions are more than a nuisance: They endanger hospitals, flood phone lines, and scare patients.<\/span><\/p>\n

“That can’t be allowed to go on,” Sen. John Thune (R-SD), who helped author the legislation, told the newspaper.<\/span><\/p>\n

In response, Congress included a clause in the TRACED Act that protects patients, doctors, and hospitals from unlawful robocalls.<\/span><\/p>\n

More on Geek.com:<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n