On the recordJuly 24, 2019
I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise today because robocalls have to stop. With the help of our phone carriers and the FCC, we have crafted solid legislation in the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act. But the most important voices heard in the crafting of this bill were the men and women from our districts who have had to deal with these calls. Illegal robocalls are annoying, disruptive, and harmful. Sadly, Madam Speaker, for many people in Ohio and across the country, these calls have also ruined lives. I hosted a workshop geared toward helping seniors avoid becoming victims of scams, including illegal robocalls, and the stories are heartbreaking. We heard from seniors who have been manipulated into giving away their life savings to scammers, often because they were tricked into thinking someone they loved had been hurt. They told me, if there was a way for them to know that it was an illegal robocall before they answered that call, this could have possibly been prevented. That is one of the many solutions we offer in the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act. I am proud to have contributed with language from our own STOP Robocalls Act, which would make it easier for Americans to access robocall blocking technology through their phone companies on an informed opt-out basis. Prior to this legislation and the FCC ruling, these services were available to consumers who opted in to receive them. This restriction made the number of customers using blocking technology very low.…
Source
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