Bill would help track down, punish telephone scammers

The U.S. Senate voted Thursday to pass a bill that would make it easier to track down and punish telephone scammers.

The Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act was introduced by senators John Thune (R-SD) and Ed Markey (D-MA) and would raise the fines imposed upon robocallers by the Federal Communications Commission and increase the statute of limitations for phone scam cases.

The TRACED Act would also pressure telecommunication providers like AT&T and Verizon to implement better security measures such as call authentication systems.

The bill also includes the FCC Reporting Modernization Act, which was co-introduced by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and requires the FCC to report to Congress the number of robocall complaints, the number of related citations issued and the number of notices of liability the Commission issues each year.

“If there is one thing Americans can agree on, it’s that robocalls often cross the line,” Schatz said in a statement. “Our bill…will give regulators the time and tools they need to fight illegal robocalls.”
Source: Hawaii Tribune Herald