Cybersecurity Policy Report, Senate Approves Foreign Robocall Elimination Act, (Aug 5, 2026)
By Jeff Williams
The Senate has passed by unanimous consent the Foreign Robocall Elimination Act (S 2666).
The measure, which was introduced by Sen. Ted Budd (R., N.C.), calls for the FCC to establish a task force to study and report on unlawful robocalls, foreign sources of such calls, ways to encourage the adoption of caller identification technology in foreign countries, and options for international cooperation in authenticating and verifying international calls.
In a press release, Sen. Ed Markey (D., Mass.) noted that the bill includes four amendments that he introduced during the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee's consideration of the measure last fall. That committee approved the legislation by voice vote as part of a block of bills (CPR, Oct. 21, 2025).
“When robocall scammers try to turn Americans’ phones into tools for theft and deception, we have to make their jobs harder,” said Sen. Markey. “My amendments will strengthen efforts to trace illegal calls to their source, crack down on sham phone companies, and shine a light on the networks that enable these scams."
One of the amendments, which Mr. Markey offered with Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D., N.M.), would require the FCC to impose a bond of up to $100,000 for providers, with some exceptions, to register with the Robocall Mitigation Database, the release noted.
Two other amendments offered by Sens. Markey and Luján would "strengthen the bill’s required report by directing the robocall task force to evaluate the potential benefits and risks of periodically releasing traceback results, including whether disclosure could help consumers avoid bad providers, strengthen deterrence, and improve call blocking," Mr. Markey said.
The other amendment offered by Mr. Markey and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) incorporated the Robocall Traceback Enhancement Act they introduced in 2021, which the release said would direct the robocall task force to "evaluate the potential benefits and risks of periodically releasing traceback results, including whether disclosure could help consumers avoid bad providers, strengthen deterrence, and improve call blocking."
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