U.S. Reps. John Curtis (R-UT) and Bob Latta (R-OH) recently introduced a bipartisan bill to provide liability protection for privately led efforts to trace back the origins of suspected unlawful robocalls.
“Robocalls plague every American household, and Ohioans in the Fifth District are sick of answering illegal and annoying scam calls,” Rep. Latta said. “These kinds of calls are a shameful tactic put out by bad actors hoping to prey on our most vulnerable populations, especially senior citizens.”
Rep. Latta on April 27 sponsored the Robocall Trace Back Enhancement Act, H.R. 7598, with original cosponsors including Rep. Curtis and U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA), to provide protection for providers that share information related to suspected fraudulent, abusive or unlawful robocalls, illegally spoofed calls, or other illegal calls to registered organizations in an effort to help trace back the origin of such robocalls, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers.
“As robocalls become more sophisticated, we must ensure that our federal agencies and business partners have the power to keep up with their techniques,” said Rep. Curtis. “Through the Robo Trace Back Enhancement Act, we are working to hold these bad actors accountable for their actions and prevent them from taking advantage of our most vulnerable citizens.”
If enacted, H.R. 7598 specifically would provide trace-back immunity and “no cause of action shall lie or be maintained in any court against the registered consortium for receiving or sharing, or publishing… covered information or information derived from covered information; or any voice service provider or other person for sharing covered information with the registered consortium,” according to the bill’s text.
“I am proud that with the Robocall Trace Back Enhancement Act, we can build upon our work to stop bad actors in their tracks and protect the American people from their schemes,” added Rep. Latta.
Brandon Heiner, USTelecom’s senior vice president of government affairs, endorsed H.R. 7598, which is the companion bill to the same-named S. 3335, introduced in December 2021 by U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-SD) and Ed Markey (D-MA).