Senate Passes Bill Cracking Down On Robocalls

The Senate on Thursday passed a bill that aims to crack down on unwanted robocalls. 'The legislation would impose stiffer fines of as much as $10,000 per call on robocallers who knowingly flout the rules on calls and would increase the statute of limitations to three years, up from one year,' reports CNN. 'It also instructs the Federal Communications Commission to develop further regulations that could shield consumers from unwanted calls.' From the report: The legislation would accelerate the rollout of so-called 'call authentication' technologies the industry is currently developing, which could cut down on the number of calls coming from unverified numbers. Proponents say the new industry standards -- known as SHAKEN/STIR -- could increase phone users' confidence in their caller ID. The protocols are designed to authenticate callers who are using their rightful phone numbers and to eliminate calls from spammers who are using phone numbers they don't rightfully own.

The legislation passed the Senate 97-1, with Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky casting the lone dissenting vote. The legislation must still pass the House and be signed by President Donald Trump. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urged House lawmakers to vote on the bill immediately. The legislation's passage follows a move by the FCC last week to clarify that phone companies may legally block unwanted robocalls and can even apply the technologies to their customers' accounts by default. But lawmakers want the FCC to do more.

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