Robocall Trace Back Enhancement Act

Bill: 117-hr-7598
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Latta, Robert E. [R-OH-5]
Introduced: 2022-04-27
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Latest action: action_date: 2022-04-28
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.

Summaries:
action_date: 2022-04-27
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Robocall Trace Back Enhancement Act</strong></p> <p>This bill provides liability protection for specified information-sharing activities undertaken to trace the origins of unlawful robocalls. </p> <p>Specifically, the bill protects a designated consortium that conducts private-led efforts to trace unlawful robocalls from liability for receiving, sharing, or publishing information about illegal calls, including their origin or source. The bill also applies liability protection to a voice service provider (i.e., a provider of any service that enables real-time, two-way voice communications) or other entity or person that shares information with the consortium.</p>

tv_txt: I 117th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 7598 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 27, 2022 Mr. Latta (for himself, Mr. Michael F. Doyle of Pennsylvania , Mr. Curtis , and Mr. O'Halleran ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To amend the Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act to provide liability protection for the sharing of information regarding suspected unlawful robocalls by or with the registered consortium that conducts private-led efforts to trace back the origin of suspected unlawful robocalls, and for the receipt of such information by such registered consortium, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Robocall Trace Back Enhancement Act . 2. Registered consortium conducting private-led efforts to trace back the origin of suspected unlawful robocalls (a) Immunity for receiving, sharing, and publishing trace back information Section 13(d) of the Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act ( Public Law 116–105 ; 133 Stat. 3287) is amended by adding at the end the following: (3) Immunity for receiving, sharing, and publishing trace back information (A) Trace back immunity No cause of action shall lie or be maintained in any court against— (i) the registered consortium for receiving or sharing, or publishing as permitted by subsection (e), covered information or information derived from covered information; or (ii) any voice service provider or other person for sharing covered information with the registered consortium. (B) Definition In this paragraph, the term covered information — (i) means information regarding a suspected unlawful robocall; and (ii) includes— (I) call detail records of a suspected unlawful robocall; (II) the name of, and other identifying information concerning, a voice service provider that originated, carried, or routed a suspected unlawful robocall; and (III) information about the person who made a suspected unlawful robocall, including any contact information of an individual that such person provided to the voice service provider that originated the call. . (b) Publication of list of voice service providers Section 13(e) of the Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act ( Public Law 116–105 ; 133 Stat. 3288) is amended to read as follows: (e) List of voice service providers (1) Publication of list The Commission, or the registered consortium in consultation with the Commission, may publish a list of voice service providers based on— (A) information obtained by the consortium about voice service providers that refuse to participate in private-led efforts to trace back the origin of suspected unlawful robocalls; and (B) other information the Commission or the consortium may collect about voice service providers that are found to originate, carry, or route substantial amounts of unlawful robocalls. (2) Enforcement The Commission may take enforcement action based on the information described in paragraph (1). .