[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 170 (Wednesday, September 30, 2020)]
[House]
[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.

                          ____________________