We all get them….
Even lawmakers….
There is an effort coming from Congress to get handle on them….
I have no doubt the companies doing them will figure out something to harass us in a different way….
But this effort is long due….
Besieged by nearly five billion unwanted automated calls from telemarketers and scammers last month, Americans are poised to get relief from robocalls under a bipartisan compromise bill introduced in the House on Thursday.
The measure would require phone carriers to offer screening technology to identify and block spam calls at no additional cost to customers within 18 months of the bill’s being enacted.
Known as the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act, the legislation was first introduced in February by Democrats, who finally reached a deal Thursday with Republicans on the bill’s language.
The revamped bill was unveiled by the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Frank Pallone Jr., Democrat of New Jersey, and the committee’s ranking member, Greg Walden, Republican of Oregon. It would apply to both wireless phones and land lines, according to Mr. Pallone, who said he was optimistic about the bill’s chances of winning House and Senate approval and being signed by President Trump.
“At one point, this was just a nuisance. Now there are so many indications that this is putting people in danger,” Mr. Pallone said in an interview Thursday. “You have these scammers now disguised as the I.R.S. You have those that are disguised as police officers. From personal experience, I think it undermines people’s faith in the phone system and they don’t answer.”
The compromise between Democrats and Republicans on the committee came one month after the Senate overwhelmingly approved separate anti-robocall legislation to respond to constituent furor over unwanted calls. Consumer protection advocates said the Senate version did not go far enough to address the problem….