Foreign Robocall Elimination Act was reported by committee and awaits a floor vote

Foreign Robocall Elimination Act This bill modifies and expands certain Federal Communications Commission (FCC) programs targeting illegal robocalls and creates a task force to advise the federal government on foreign robocalls. For example, the bill directs the FCC to issue rules under which certain voice service providers (i.e., phone companies) may be required to post a bond before filing required certifications in the Robocall Mitigation Database. (Under current law, providers must file annual certifications in this database regarding their compliance with illegal robocall mitigation requirements. Noncompliant providers are removed from the database and effectively blocked from the U.S. telephone network.) Providers that do not demonstrate legitimate operations, sufficient regulatory oversight, or the ability to pay fines may be subject to the bond requirement. The FCC must establish categorical exemptions for classes of legitimate providers that satisfy certain criteria. Further, the bill makes changes related to the FCC’s traceback consortium, a group selected by the FCC to conduct private-led efforts to trace the origin of suspected illegal robocalls. Specifically, the bill protects the consortium from liability for receiving, sharing, or publishing information about suspected fraudulent, abusive, or illegal robocalls and other illegal calls. Additionally, the bill authorizes the consortium to publish a list of voice service providers based on information about providers’ transmission or origination of illegal robocalls or refusal to participate in traceback efforts. (Currently, only the FCC may publish this list.) The bill also establishes an interagency task force on combating robocalls that originate outside the United States.