You could soon block those annoying robocallers, thanks to this Jersey Democrat
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House took action Wednesday to rein in those annoying robocalls, which bother the average New Jersey resident more than once every three days.
The bill, sponsored by New Jersey's Frank Pallone Jr., D-6th Dist., passed the House, 429-3.
The legislation requires phone companies to use technology to authenticate calls and to offer call-blocking services at no charge, and expands to up to four years from one year the time the Federal Communications Commission has to bring charges against robocallers.
"The rising tide of unlawful, unwanted robocalls started as a nuisance but now threatens the way consumers view and use their telephones," said Pallone, who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
"These calls are undermining our entire phone system, and that's something we all need to take very, very seriously."
It's now up to congressional negotiators to work out differences between the House passed bill and one the Senate approved in May.
"This is a bill that will become law, and the president will sign it once we get it passed in the Senate and we have a final bill," Pallone said.
Anger over robocalls has transcended party lines and is an area where both Republicans and Democrats have been able to find common ground.
The top Republican on the Energy and Commerce Committee, Greg Walden of Oregon, was the lead GOP sponsor of the legislation. A majority of the 435-member House signed on as co-sponsors, including the other 11 from New Jersey.
As one of the Senate sponsors, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., held a press conference to call attention to the bill. During his appearance, he was interrupted by a robocall.
"Americans are sick and tired of being harassed by annoying, obnoxious and illegal robocalls, and are demanding action," Menendez said. "It's long time we hang up on these unwanted calls."
There were 4.4 billion illegal robocalls in June, including more than 133 million in New Jersey, an average of 11 per person, according to YouMail's Robocall Index.