--- title: "New Law Could End Robocalling Once and For All" description: "The Senate just voted in favor of a bipartisan bill that could put an end to spam and unsolicited marketing calls once and for all." date: "2019-05-23" modified: "2019-05-23" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/law-senate-robocall-criminalize" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "fcc" - "robocall" - "robocalls" - "the digest" --- # New Law Could End Robocalling Once and For All ![The Senate just voted in favor of a bipartisan bill that could put an end to spam and unsolicited marketing calls once and for all.]() *\Image: Pixabay/Victor Tangermann\* ## Robocall Bill In response to the [almost 50 billion robocalls]() that were made last year in the U.S., the Senate just voted in favor of a bipartisan bill that could put an end to unsolicited marketing calls once and for all. The Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act overwhelmingly passed with just one vote against and 97 in favor — clearly an issue that both sides can agree on. ## Bullseye The bill will increase fines and criminalize illegal unsolicited robocalls — and, more importantly, require providers to come up with a way to authenticate calls going forward. "This bipartisan, common-sense bill puts a bullseye on the scam artists and criminals who are making it difficult for many Americans to answer the phone with any bit of confidence about who's on the other end of the line," said John Thune (R-SD), who co-introduced the bill. ## Shaken, Stirred The technology to authenticate calls already exists and has [been lauded]() by the Federal Communications Commission chairman Ajit Pai as a "a significant step towards ending the scourge of spoofed robocalls." In short, the [STIR/SHAKEN]() framework ensures that both sides of a call would have their caller ID "signed" and validated by carriers. "I commend the US Senate for passing the TRACED Act... \[It\] would help strengthen the FCC's ability to combat illegal robocalls," [said Pai]() in a statement today. "And we would welcome these additional tools to fight this scourge." **READ MORE:** [Senate passes bill to curb robocalls]() \[*CNET*\] **More on robocalls:** *[Rise of the Robocallers: Here’s How We’ll Avoid a Future of Scammers]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()