DO NOT Call Act
Senators Propose Prison Time and $20,000 Fines to Crack Down on Illegal Robocall Scams
Stalled
No legislative action in over 90 days.
Legislative Progress
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.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
People who knowingly make illegal robocalls or send spam texts could now face criminal records, with up to 1 year in prison for standard offenses and up to 3 years for aggravated offenses involving mass calling, fraud, or repeat violations. This shifts robocalling from a civil penalty matter to a criminal one, meaning convicted offenders would carry a federal criminal record that affects future employment, housing, and other life opportunities.
Broader Impacts
Milestones
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
5 articles
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.
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.
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.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
DO NOT Call Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(3)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.