I 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7151 

To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to provide for measures to 

reduce the number of unlawful robocalls and unlawful spoofed calls 

received by consumers, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 16, 2018 

Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to provide for 

measures to reduce the number of unlawful robocalls 

and unlawful spoofed calls received by consumers, and 

for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Stop Harassing Calls 

5 Act of 2018’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. REDUCING THE NUMBER OF UNLAWFUL 

2 ROBOCALLS AND UNLAWFUL SPOOFED 

3 CALLS. 

4 (a) REGULATIONS.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Communications Act of 

6 1934 (47 U.S.C. 151 et seq.) is amended by insert7 ing after section 227 the following: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 227A. MEASURES TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF UN9 LAWFUL ROBOCALLS AND UNLAWFUL 

10 SPOOFED CALLS. 

11 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

12 date of the enactment of this section, the Commission 

13 shall promulgate regulations that require a provider of 

14 voice service or text messaging service to implement meas15 ures, to be specified by the Commission in such regula16 tions, to reduce the number of unlawful robocalls and un17 lawful spoofed calls received by consumers. 

18 ‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

19 ‘‘(1) UNLAWFUL ROBOCALL.—The term ‘unlaw20 ful robocall’ means a call made or a text message 

21 sent in violation of section 227(b). 

22 ‘‘(2) UNLAWFUL SPOOFED CALL.—The term 

23 ‘unlawful spoofed call’ means a call or text message 

24 in connection with which a caller identification serv25 ice is caused to transmit misleading or inaccurate 


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1 caller identification information in violation of sec2 tion 227(e). 

3 ‘‘(3) OTHER DEFINITIONS.—The terms defined 

4 in section 227(e)(8) have the meanings given such 

5 terms in such section.’’. 

6 (2) TRANSITIONAL RULE REGARDING CERTAIN

7 DEFINITIONS.—Paragraph (3) of subsection (b) of 

8 section 227A of the Communications Act of 1934, as 

9 added by paragraph (1) of this subsection, shall 

10 apply before the effective date of the amendment 

11 made to section 227(e)(8) of such Act (47 U.S.C. 

12 227(e)(8)) by subparagraph (C) of section 503(a)(2) 

13 of division P of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 

14 2018 (Public Law 115–141) as if such amendment 

15 were already in effect. 

16 (b) DEVELOPMENT OF PLAN BY FCC.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall de18 velop a plan to reduce the number of unlawful 

19 robocalls and unlawful spoofed calls received by con20 sumers. 

21 (2) REQUIRED CONTENTS.—The plan developed 

22 under paragraph (1) shall include the following: 

23 (A) Steps that the Commission can take to 

24 increase enforcement of subsections (b) and (e) 


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1 of section 227 of the Communications Act of 

2 1934 (47 U.S.C. 227). 

3 (B) Recommendations to Congress for 

4 changes in law to give the Commission addi5 tional authority to reduce unlawful robocalls 

6 and unlawful spoofed calls. 

7 (C) A strategy for outreach by the Com8 mission to consumers (with an emphasis on 

9 young consumers) to help consumers identify 

10 calls that may be fraudulent. 

11 (3) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 1 

12 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

13 Commission shall submit to Congress a report con14 taining the plan developed under paragraph (1). 

15 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

16 (1) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’ 

17 means the Federal Communications Commission. 

18 (2) UNLAWFUL ROBOCALL; UNLAWFUL

19 SPOOFED CALL.—The terms ‘‘unlawful robocall’’ and 

20 ‘‘unlawful spoofed call’’ have the meanings given 

21 such terms in section 227A(b) of the Communica22 tions Act of 1934, as added by subsection (a)(1). 

Æ 


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