HR6152-119

What This Bill Does

The Foreign Robocall Elimination Act targets unlawful robocalls entering the United States from outside the country. Within 270 days, the FCC, after consulting the FTC and Attorney General, must establish a task force on unlawful robocalls. The task force includes federal agency representatives selected by the FCC Chair and seven private-sector members covering voice service providers, analytics providers, technologists, technology experts, the TRACED Act consortium, a marketing business that calls consumers, a business or nonprofit that makes regular non-marketing calls, and a customer advocacy organization. The task force must report recommendations for federal agencies and Congress on combating foreign-origin robocalls, including volumes and foreign points of departure, financial loss and identity theft, foreign adoption of caller ID authentication, international call verification, STIR/SHAKEN, incentives for foreign cooperation, DOJ enforcement resources, criminal penalties based on call volume, forfeiture pursuit, private-sector technology solutions, best practices for blocking, and public reporting options. The bill also requires FCC rules for the Robocall Mitigation Database. Before a provider may file a database certification, FCC may require a bond of up to $100,000 when needed to preserve database integrity, with exemptions for bona fide established providers such as registered contributors, State-certificated providers, listed public companies, and providers otherwise showing legitimate operations, regulatory oversight, and ability to pay fines.

Who Benefits and How

Consumers benefit if the task force and bond requirement reduce unlawful foreign-origin robocalls, fraud, and identity theft. FCC and FTC enforcement staff benefit from recommendations on technical standards, foreign cooperation, traceback, STIR/SHAKEN, and best practices. Voice service providers and analytics providers benefit from a formal role in task-force recommendations and clearer robocall mitigation expectations. Customer advocacy organizations benefit from representation on the task force. Compliant established communications providers benefit from categorical exemptions from unnecessary bond requirements.

Who Bears the Burden and How

FCC must create and administer the task force, manage member appointments, produce recommendations, and write Robocall Mitigation Database bond rules. FTC, DOJ, and other federal agencies must consult, appoint representatives, and participate in task-force work. Providers lacking legitimate operations, regulatory oversight, or ability to pay enforcement penalties may have to post bonds up to $100,000 before database certification. Foreign-origin robocall operators face more coordinated enforcement and technical blocking recommendations. Private-sector task force members must contribute expertise and analysis to the report.

Key Provisions

• Requires an FCC-led task force on unlawful robocalls within 270 days.
• Requires federal agency and private-sector task-force membership, including voice providers, analytics providers, technologists, marketers, nonprofits, and consumer advocates.
• Requires a report on foreign-origin robocall volumes, countries of departure, losses, identity theft, authentication, STIR/SHAKEN, enforcement resources, penalties, and best practices.
• Requires FCC rules allowing bonds up to $100,000 before Robocall Mitigation Database certification when needed.
• Requires exemptions for legitimate established providers that do not need a bond to deter unlawful robocall activity.