I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2355 
To require the Federal Communications Commission to establish within the 
Enforcement Bureau of the Commission a division that specifically ad-
dresses the issue of robocalls, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 25, 2019 
Ms. ESHOO introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To require the Federal Communications Commission to es-
tablish within the Enforcement Bureau of the Commis-
sion a division that specifically addresses the issue of 
robocalls, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Regulatory Oversight 
Barring Obnoxious Calls and Texts Act of 2019’’ or the 
‘‘ROBO Calls and Texts Act of 2019’’. 
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SEC. 2. ROBOCALL DIVISION IN FCC ENFORCEMENT BU-
REAU. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commission 
shall establish within the Enforcement Bureau of the 
Commission a division, to be known as the ‘‘Robocall Divi-
sion’’, that specifically addresses the issue of robocalls. 
(b) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Division shall have the 
following responsibilities: 
(1) Ensure consumer protection and compliance 
with Federal laws relating to public safety and 
robocalls. 
(2) Serve as a line of communication between 
the Federal Government and the communications in-
dustry to coordinate efforts to combat robocalls on 
both sides. 
(3) Actively manage consumer complaints re-
garding robocalls and address those complaints in a 
timely manner. 
(4) Serve as a line of communication between 
the Commission and other related Federal agencies, 
including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the 
Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, the Fed-
eral Trade Commission, the Department of Justice, 
and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Admin-
istration, regarding the issue of robocalls. 
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(5) Any other responsibility that the Commis-
sion determines— 
(A) is necessary to prevent robocalls; and 
(B) does not unnecessarily— 
(i) block benign calls or text mes-
sages; or 
(ii) complicate the user experience. 
SEC. 3. OTHER FCC RESPONSIBILITIES RELATING TO 
ROBOCALLS. 
(a) TECHNOLOGICAL STANDARDS.—Not later than 
90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Commission shall promulgate regulations under section 
227 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 227) 
that would compel telecommunications providers to adopt 
technological standards to prevent robocalls. The Commis-
sion shall periodically update such regulations as the Com-
mission considers appropriate. 
(b) RESEARCH.—The Commission shall dedicate a 
portion of the staff of the Commission to conducting re-
search that— 
(1) advances technology to prevent robocalls; 
(2) investigates technology that facilitates the 
origination of robocalls; and 
(3) otherwise assists the Division in carrying 
out its responsibilities under section 2(b). 
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(c) EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES AND MATERIALS.— 
The Commission shall develop, and provide to the general 
public, educational resources and materials that inform 
users of a voice service or text messaging service of the 
risks associated with robocalls. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’ 
means the Federal Communications Commission. 
(2) DIVISION.—The term ‘‘Division’’ means the 
Robocall Division established under section 2(a). 
(3) ROBOCALL.—The term ‘‘robocall’’ means a 
call made (including a text message sent)— 
(A) using equipment that makes a series of 
calls to stored telephone numbers, including 
numbers stored on a list, or to telephone num-
bers produced using a random or sequential 
number generator, except for a call made using 
only equipment that the caller demonstrates re-
quires substantial additional human interven-
tion to dial or place a call after a human initi-
ates the series of calls; or 
(B) using an artificial or prerecorded voice. 
Æ 
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