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Congress·In Committee·3 months ago

Senators Propose Prison Time and $20,000 Fines to Crack Down on Illegal Robocall Scams

Also known as: DO NOT Call Act

Legislative Progress

✓ Filed
Review
Senate
House
President

Impact Analysis

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Key Points

  • This bill creates new criminal punishments for people who knowingly break the law by making illegal robocalls or sending spam texts. For the first time, scammers could face up to one year in prison just for making these calls.
  • The punishments get even tougher for the worst offenders. Scammers could face up to three years in prison if they send more than 100,000 calls in one day, target people to commit a serious crime, or cause victims to lose more than $5,000 in a year.
  • It doubles the fines for 'spoofing,' which is when a caller hides their real identity by making a fake number show up on your caller ID. The fine for each violation would jump from $10,000 to $20,000.
  • This plan targets the massive scale of modern phone scams by setting specific limits, such as sending 10 million calls in a year, that trigger the most serious legal consequences.
  • By making robocalling a crime that can lead to jail time, the bill aims to discourage scammers who currently view small civil fines as just a cost of doing business.
Criminal JusticeTechnology Digital

Milestones

2 milestones3 actions
Dec 4, 2025Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Dec 4, 2025

Dec 4, 2025

Introduced in Senate

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

2026

Senate committee reviews the bill

The bill must pass through the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee before it can be voted on by the full Senate. Until this happens, no new penalties take effect.

Related News

5 articles
CNET·3 months ago

Illegal robocallers could be punished under a new House bill

A bipartisan bill reintroduced in the U.S. House would allow the government to punish illegal robocallers with prison time. The DO NOT Call Act aims to deter scammers who target vulnerable consumers by increasing penalties for willful violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

C=
VitalLaw·3 months ago

Lawmakers Reintroduce Bill to Impose Jail Time for Illegal Robocalls

Reps. David Kustoff and Deborah Ross have reintroduced the DO NOT Call Act, authorizing prison sentences up to one year for willful violations and up to three years for aggravated offenses, such as making over 100,000 calls in a day or causing losses over $5,000.

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TCPAWorld·2 months ago

THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM?: The DO NOT Call Act 2025 Brings Jail Time Back on the Table for TCPA Offenders

The 2025 iteration of the DO NOT Call Act revises the definition of a 'call' to include text messages and emergency communications. It proposes criminal penalties of up to one year for standard violations and three years for repeat or high-volume offenders.

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Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

DO NOT Call Act

Bill NumberS 3370
Congress119th Congress
ChamberSenate
Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(3)
D: 2I: 1

Analysis generated by AI. While we strive for accuracy, this should not be considered legal or professional advice. Always verify information with official government sources.