Cybersecurity Policy Report, Pennsylvania Senate Committee OKs Bill to Strengthen Telemarketing Law, (Oct 21, 2025)
The Pennsylvania state Senate Appropriations Committee voted yesterday to advance a bill to update and strengthen the state’s telemarketing laws.
SB 992, among other things, would expand the definition of telephone solicitation to cover not only traditional calls but also voicemails, ringless voicemails, and text messages. The proposed legislation also prohibits telemarketing calls between the hours of 7 p.m. and 9 a.m. and all day on Sundays.
The bill also “ensures accountability by making both telemarketers and the businesses that contract with them responsible under the law.”
The bill further closes certain loopholes associated with the do-not-call registry “that allow deceptive practices such as coupon clicking, which can remove numbers from the list without a consumer’s written consent.” The bill would include business and wireless subscribers on the do-not-call list, require telemarketers to regularly update their call lists, and prohibit the use of the do-not-call list for purposes other than removing numbers from solicitation lists.
The bill aligns state requirements with federal regulations regarding caller identification and telemarketing sales rules, and it strengthens consumer rights to opt out of robocalls through automated mechanisms. The bill would also prohibit the use of AI technology to defraud or mislead subscribers and would ban telemarketers from using false names or phone numbers.
The bill (S.B. 992, Reg Sess.) is sponsored by Sen. Michelle Brooks (R.).
News: StateLegislation DataPrivacy