PRINTER'S NO. 1505
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
250
Session of
2019
INTRODUCED BY BENNINGHOFF, BARRAR, BROWN, CAUSER, HAHN, JAMES,
LONGIETTI, MACKENZIE, McNEILL, MILLARD, B. MILLER, OWLETT,
PICKETT, PYLE, SAINATO, SCHMITT, TOPPER, WENTLING, WILLIAMS,
READSHAW, GLEIM, NEILSON, CIRESI AND MOUL, APRIL 25, 2019
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON CONSUMER AFFAIRS, APRIL 25, 2019
A RESOLUTION
Urging the Congress of the United States to grant additional
authority to the Federal Communications Commission to stop
unwanted and illegal robocalls and "spoofing" and urging the
Federal Communications Commission to educate the public on
how to report illegal telephone calls.
WHEREAS, Receipt of unwanted telephone calls are the most
frequent complaints received by the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) from consumers nationwide; and
WHEREAS, Unwanted calls include automated telemarketing or
solicitation calls that deliver a recorded message, also known
as robocalls; and
WHEREAS, Recently, robocalls have been combined with a
process called "spoofing" by which robocalls appear to originate
from local, often legitimate, numbers to trick consumers into
answering the robocalls; and
WHEREAS, As technology continues to evolve, the number of
robocalls and spoofing continue to grow; and
WHEREAS, Under the Federal Truth in Caller ID Act of 2009,
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individuals are prohibited from transmitting misleading or
inaccurate caller ID information with the intent to defraud,
cause harm or wrongly obtain anything of value; and
WHEREAS, Despite the fact that the FCC has initiated new
policy initiatives to combat robocalls and spoofing, additional
measures need to be implemented to combat this growing problem;
and
WHEREAS, The Congress of the United States should pass
legislation that provides the FCC with the tools and resources
the FCC needs to combat robocalls and spoofing; and
WHEREAS, The FCC encourages consumers to file a complaint
with the FCC when a robocall is received; and
WHEREAS, Although the FCC uses social media and the Internet
to reach consumers, the FCC should use all means available to
provide consumers with the information necessary to file a
complaint; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Congress of the United
States to grant additional authority to the Federal
Communications Commission to stop illegal and unwanted robocalls
and "spoofing"; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Federal Communications
Commission to educate the public on how to report illegal
telephone calls; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
the President pro tempore of the United States Senate, the
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the
members of the Pennsylvania Congressional Delegation, the
Federal Communications Commission Chairman and the Commissioners
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of the Federal Communications Commission.
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