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[Page H5058]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PUTTING AN END TO POLITICAL ROBOCALLS
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from
North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) for 5 minutes.
Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, we are in the height of
robocall season, and the American people are beyond fed up.
The recent 6-3 ruling by the Supreme Court that upholds a Federal ban
on robocalls warrants a serious conversation that is long overdue.
Under the 1991 Telephone Consumer Protection Act, TCPA, prerecorded
voice messages and the use of automatic dialing systems were
effectively banned. The prevailing argument was that the American
people would no longer face intrusive nuisances that we have now come
to recognize as robocalls.
In retrospect, the TCPA was a novel endeavor, but the Bipartisan
Budget Act of 2015 introduced setbacks that compromised the progress
that had been achieved in the fight against robocalls. Debt collectors
received a special carve-out that allowed them to place automatic calls
to Americans who owed money to the Federal Government.
Though the Supreme Court eliminated this carve-out on the basis that
it was a violation of the First Amendment, bountiful opportunities to
enact meaningful reform remain on the horizon.
Unwanted robocalls have become the bane of many, and with phones
ringing off the hook in households across the country, Americans are
wondering when they will get a reprieve from these nuisances. Imagine
you are sitting down for dinner with your family, and within seconds of
the meal starting, your phone begins ringing. It is yet another
robocall.
Now, magnify the scene to households across the country. It is an
enraging scenario that all of us have been affected by, but I have a
blueprint that can set things right.
Since 2005, I have introduced the Robo Calls Off Phones Act,
legislation that directs the FTC to revise its regulation for the
National Do Not Call Registry and allows politically oriented messages
to be added to that list.
In fact, the genesis for this legislation came from my constituents.
Many were livid that they had been bombarded with unwanted calls during
the 2004 election year. They demanded that Congress act to end these
nuisances, and I took it upon myself to carry the mantle.
Ever since I have reintroduced this legislation to address the
cyclical issue, and I remain adamant that Congress must address this
immediately. For years, politicians in Washington have told their
constituents that they would fight against robocalls. Now it is time to
hold ourselves to account and be part of the solution.
H.R. 805, the bipartisan Robo COP Act, is the vessel by which we can
achieve meaningful reform.
The simple truth is that no American is immune to receiving
robocalls. It is becoming a nagging problem that has evolved to the
point where we now believe it is commonplace to receive them at any
point during the day.
The answer to this problem is right before our very eyes, and
Congress finds itself in an opportune moment to enact meaningful
reforms that have been overlooked for far too long.
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