Cybersecurity Policy Report, Schakowsky, Durbin Reintroduce Robocall Legislation, (Apr 17, 2026)
Organizations Mentioned:National Consumer Law Center
By Lynn Stanton
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D., Ill.) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D., Ill.) took the lead on reintroducing bicameral legislation aimed at giving the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the Do-Not-Call Registry “teeth” by enabling “all telephone subscribers, including small businesses, the ability to seek damages for all unconsented-to telemarketing calls immediately after such a call,” the sponsors said in a press release.
The proposed Protecting American Consumers from Robocalls Act would delete “residential” from the description of consumers protected by the TCPA and lower the threshold for violations from “more than one telephone call within any 12-month period by or on behalf of the same entity” to “a telephone call by or on behalf of an entity.”
It would give the FCC 270 days to amend its rules to reflect the legislation.
It would also revise the definition of an automatic telephone dialing system to include systems that dial from a list of phone numbers rather than using a random or sequential number generator.
Rep. Schakowsky said, “‘Do not call’ means do not call. Period. But illegitimate and intrusive robocalls are only getting worse, especially as scammers weaponize AI to impersonate loved ones and exploit Americans. So many of us are bombarded with relentless calls. Enough is enough. That’s why I am reintroducing legislation that empowers victims to hold scammers accountable after just one illegal call. We need strong, pro-consumer guardrails now.”
Patrick Crotty, senior attorney at the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC), said, “Small-business owners need to answer the phone every time it rings, or risk losing customers. This exposes Mom & Pop shops to aggressive telemarketing and scam robocalls. The Protecting American Consumers from Robocalls Act gives small-business owners and others options to make the calls stop.”
The bills’ co-sponsors include Rep. Kevin Mullin (D., Calif.).
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