Thune Sees Senate Passage of Anti-Robocall Traced Act Imminent
Senate Communications Subcommittee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., told us the chamber's long-awaited passage of his Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act is imminent and could happen Wednesday night or Thursday depending on how soon the measure can clear…
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hotlines of lawmakers. Thune has been aiming to move the measure via unanimous consent (see 1904110066). S-151, which cleared the Senate Commerce Committee in April (see 1904030078), would increase FCC authority, allowing the agency to levy civil penalties of up to $10,000 per call when the caller intentionally flouts the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. The bill would extend to three years the window for civil enforcement. The agency also would be required to begin a rulemaking to help protect subscribers from receiving unwanted calls or texts from callers using unauthenticated numbers (see 1901170039). Thune said his hopes for S-151 passage were buoyed by Senate Commerce's completion Tuesday night of a required report on the bill, a final step needed to bring it to the floor. Senate leadership then placed S-151 on the legislative calendar. House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and ranking member Greg Walden, R-Ore., meanwhile, are continuing to work toward a “single bipartisan bill” incorporating elements from a set of seven measures the House Communications Subcommittee examined in late April (see 1904300212), subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle, D-Pa., told reporters. “Everyone wants to move it.”