H.R. 10310: Robo Calls Off Phones Act

This bill would require the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to change the rules for the national do-not-call registry within 180 days after enactment.

What would change

• The FTC would have to revise the Telemarketing Sales Rule so that phone numbers listed on the do-not-call registry are protected from certain politically oriented recorded message calls.
• In practical terms, this means prerecorded political robocalls would be prohibited from being placed to numbers on the registry.

What counts as a covered call

The bill defines a covered call as an outbound call where:

• no live person is available to speak when the call is answered, and instead a recorded message plays; and
• the message is meant to promote, advertise, campaign, or solicit donations for or against a political candidate or political issue, or it includes the name of a political candidate.

What this would mean in practice

• People who put their phone numbers on the do-not-call registry would gain additional protection from prerecorded political calls.
• Political campaigns, advocacy groups, or others using prerecorded political messages would not be able to place those calls to numbers on the registry if the FTC updates the rules as directed.
• The bill does not ban all political phone calls; it focuses on recorded message calls to numbers on the registry.

Relevant Companies

None found