Robocall law with no teeth…

There are very few things that people agree on these days, but there is one thing we all hate — robocalls. They are annoying, intrusive, and generally illegal. However, an estimated 68 million consumers were scammed out of $29 billion in 2022.   

How does this happen if robocalling is illegal? It seems there was a loophole that was keeping the powers that be from enforcing the law, but recently, the FCC closed that loophole. This closed loophole will enable consumers to file suit against the offending companies and claim up to $500 in damages. That’s all well and good, but is $500 really a punishment to companies who make 33 million robocalls every day in the U.S. alone? And how do we know who to file against, and who will pay for the lawsuit fees? 

The time and effort to file could add up to make the whole process worthless. It seems more like the FCC’s way of passing the buck letting the consumer do the legwork and filing on their own dime. A stiff penalty and/or jail time for each infraction enforced by government officials would be much more of a deterrent and actually put some teeth into the newly touted closing the loophole action. What do you think? Read about the loophole details in the Time article here.