Protecting American Consumers from Robocalls Act
- Bill Number
- H.R. 8311
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Commerce
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-04-15: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- Last Updated
- 2026-05-13T20:47:12Z
AI-Generated Summary
Protecting American Consumers from Robocalls Act (H.R. 8311)
Purpose
The legislation aims to strengthen protections against unwanted robocalls and telemarketing calls by expanding the "Do Not Call" rules to cover all telephone subscribers (not just residential ones), enhancing individuals' ability to sue violators, and broadening the definition of an automatic telephone dialing system (ATDS)—equipment that dials numbers automatically without human intervention.
Key Provisions
- Expands Do Not Call rules (under Section 227(c) of the Communications Act of 1934):
- Applies protections to all telephone subscribers, removing limits to residential lines.
- Allows individuals to sue for even a single unwanted call from or on behalf of the same entity (previously required multiple calls within 12 months).
- Removes caps on statutory damages, enabling higher potential penalties.
- Requires Federal Communications Commission (FCC) action: FCC must update its Do Not Call regulations within 270 days of enactment to reflect these changes.
- Redefines ATDS (under Section 227(a)(1)):
- Includes systems that dial from a pre-set list of telephone numbers (in addition to random or sequential number generators).
- Covers dialing that occurs successively without human intervention.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Removes "residential" restrictions in three places in Section 227(c), extending Do Not Call registry protections to wireless and business lines.
- Lowers threshold for private lawsuits from multiple calls to a single call, and eliminates "up to" limits on damages (shifting from $500–$1,500 per violation to potentially uncapped statutory amounts).
- Broadens ATDS definition to explicitly include list-based dialing without human input, addressing prior court interpretations that narrowed it to only random/sequential generators.
Potential Impacts
- Citizens: Enhanced ability to register phones on the Do Not Call list and pursue lawsuits, reducing unwanted calls across all lines and increasing compensation for violations.
- Government agencies: FCC faces a mandate to revise rules quickly, potentially increasing enforcement workload.
- Telemarketers and businesses: Higher compliance costs, greater risk of lawsuits, and restrictions on automated calling tools, which may limit marketing practices.
- No direct impacts on international relations noted.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Consumers: All U.S. telephone subscribers (residential, wireless, business) gain stronger anti-robocall protections.
- Telemarketing companies and robocallers: Face expanded restrictions and liability for violations.
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC): Responsible for implementing regulatory changes.
- Courts and plaintiffs' attorneys: Likely to see increased private lawsuits due to lowered barriers to action.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Clarifies and expands ATDS scope post-litigation (e.g., responding to court rulings like those narrowing definitions); strengthens private right of action (individuals' ability to sue directly in court without FCC involvement).
- Constitutional: No explicit challenges noted; aligns with existing First Amendment limits on commercial speech via time/place/manner restrictions.
- Political: Bipartisan introduction (Reps. Schakowsky and Mullin); referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce, signaling focus on consumer protection amid ongoing robocall complaints. May lead to more litigation but promotes clearer rules for industry.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9]
Cosponsors (2)
Rep. Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15], Rep. Soto, Darren [D-FL-9]
Recent Actions
- 2026-04-15: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- 2026-04-15: Introduced in House
- 2026-04-15: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Protecting American Consumers from Robocalls Act — issued 2026-04-15 — PDF (3 pages)