Bill adds ammunition to battle against illegal robocalls

Arizona Senator among principal backers

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KYMA, KSWT, KECY) - A newly-passed measure gives authorities new weapons in their war against illegal robocalls.

The Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act passed the House of Representatives earlier this month, and cleared the Senate today. President Trump is expected to sign it.

The legislation boosts enforcement against those who break telephone consumer-protection laws. It also pushes phone companies to take more action against calls that look suspicious before they reach customers' phones. In addition, it tells the Federal Communications Commission to forward evidence of illegal robocalls to the Department of Justice for possible criminal prosecution.

Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D) is among the bill's primary backers. She says the bill will particularly benefit the state's aging population.

“Our bipartisan legislation protects all Arizonans from the barrage of unwanted robocalls and protects Arizona seniors from scams and harassment by ensuring robocallers are held accountable,” says Senator Sinema.

Major phone companies are already implementing new technology to authenticate Caller IDs.