To require the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission to jointly establish a robocaller bounty pilot program, and for other purposes.

Bill: 115-hr-7343
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Graves, Garret [R-LA-6]
Introduced: 2018-12-19
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures

Congressional oversight

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

Fraud offenses and financial crimes

Public contracts and procurement

Telephone and wireless communication
Latest action: action_date: 2018-12-19
text: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Summaries:
action_date: 2018-12-19
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to jointly establish a robocaller bounty pilot program to reduce covered calls. A covered call is generally one that (1) is made by an automatic dialing system, (2) uses an artificial or prerecorded voice and&nbsp;is not initiated for emergency purposes, or (3) violates the do-not-call-registry.<strike></strike></p> <p>The FCC and the FTC must provide monetary compensation for the identification and prevention of covered calls and enable participants to share funds recovered from violations.</p>

tv_txt: I 115th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 7343 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES December 19, 2018 Mr. Graves of Louisiana (for himself and Mr. Crist ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To require the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission to jointly establish a robocaller bounty pilot program, and for other purposes.

1. Robocaller bounty pilot program (a) Establishment Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission shall jointly establish a robocaller bounty pilot program to reduce violations of section 227 of the Communications Act of 1947 ( 47 U.S.C. 227 ) and the do-not-call registry. (b) Requirements In establishing the pilot program under subsection (a), the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission shall jointly— (1) provide monetary compensation for the identification, apprehension, and prevention of future robocalls and fraudulent callers; (2) develop an expeditious process for participants in the pilot program to submit an expedited background check, as determined by the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission, and approval for participation into the program; (3) develop a fee-sharing structure for participants to share in funds recovered from violations in addition to payment for participation in program; (4) consult with the Attorney General on how to ensure participants of the pilot program are protected from prosecution for specific activities authorized under the pilot program; (5) award competitive contracts as necessary to manage the pilot program and for addressing the vulnerabilities identified as a consequence of the pilot program; and (6) solicit interested persons, including the private sector, about the structure of the pilot program and constructive feedback. (c) Report Not later than 90 days after the date on which the pilot program is complete, the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission shall submit a joint report to the Committees on Energy and Commerce and the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and the Committees on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the Judiciary of the Senate. The report shall include the following: (1) The number of individuals and companies that were approved and received compensation. (2) The number of identified and apprehended robocallers. (3) The number of identified vulnerabilities in existing law, apprehension, and enforcement of robocallers. (4) The number of resulting prosecutions. (5) The recommendations for overseas identification and apprehension of robocallers. (6) The obstacles encountered with apprehending robocallers and any other lessons learned from the pilot program. (7) The payouts per participant.