WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) is joining colleagues to cosponsor legislation cracking down on the enforcement of illegal robocalls. The Deter Obnoxious, Nefarious, and Outrageous Telephone (DO NOT) Call Act cracks down on illegal robocalls and robotexts, improves enforcement, and increases penalties for robocallers who violate the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). The TCPA restricts the use of automated telemarketing calls.

In 2022, Americans received 78 billion robocalls and 225 billion robotexts, and lost $65 billion to robocalls and $20 billion to robotexts.

“At best, illegal robocalls are a major annoyance – at worst, they are scams that target our most vulnerable citizens,” said Senator King. “The Deter Obnoxious, Nefarious, and Outrageous Telephone (DO NOT) Call Act would crack down on the these illegal robocalls with improved enforcement and penalties for those who violate existing law. It is past time telemarketers play by the rules so that Americans can continue living their lives without the scamming calls and texts that clog our telecommunications networks.”

The DO NOT Call Act would create stiffer penalties for scammers who willfully and knowingly violate the TCPA, including steeper fines and a specific penalty for robocallers of a prison sentence of up to one year, with a three-year sentence penalty for scam robocallers. The bill also increases the maximum penalty for falsifying Caller ID and creates longer prison sentences for scammers involved in repeat offenses. 

Joining Senator King on the legislation are Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).

Senator King has continuously called for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to enforce regulations on telemarketing calls. Last August, he sent a letter to the FCC calling for issue guidance restating long-held requirements for unwanted telemarketing calls to assist telemarketers and sellers in complying with the rules. In 2019, he also cosponsored Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act which makes it easier for regulators to find scammers, increases civil forfeiture penalties for those who are caught, promotes call authentication and blocking adoption, and brings relevant federal agencies and state attorneys general together to address impediments to criminal prosecution of robocallers who intentionally flout laws. The bill was signed into law by the President in 2019.

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