Latta introduces anti-robocall measure

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Bob Latta (R-Ohio) has authored legislation, the Support Tools to Obliterate Pesky (STOP) Robocalls Act, to take action to combat the nuisance that Americans are facing from illegal robocalls. One study found that Americans were targeted with more than 26 billion robocalls in 2018, a 46 percent increase over the year before.

In his role as chairman of the Energy and Commerce Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection Subcommittee last Congress, Latta conducted a hearing on illegal robocalls where the subcommittee heard about how difficult it is to hold bad actors accountable as they are often located overseas and change tactics regularly. 

The STOP Robocalls Act will be part of a legislative subcommittee hearing in the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology (C&T) on Tuesday. Congressman Latta serves as the Republican Leader on that subcommittee. C&T Subcommittee Chairman Michael Doyle (D-Pennsylvania) is an original cosponsor of the legislation.

“Nearly every American has faced that moment where they think they’re getting a call from somebody they know, only to realize it’s an annoying robocall,” said Latta. “They’re a nuisance, a waste of time, and the scams perpetrated by robocallers often have a real-life impact on our vulnerable populations. 

“The STOP Robocalls Act takes a multi-prong approach to the problem by easing the ability for customers to utilize robocall blocking services, establishing a process for private entities to share information with the Federal Communications Commission, and conducting a study on the benefits of requiring the maintenance of records by providers of covered voice over internet protocol service,” Latta added. “The proliferation of robocalls is a quality-of-life issue, and we need to take action to curtail them.”