LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge issued a statement Tuesday (Dec. 31) praising President Trump for signing into law the bi-partisan Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act.
“I applaud President Trump’s support of this new law supplying law enforcement with the tools necessary to fight these relentless robocalls plaguing all Americans,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “I have worked non-stop in Arkansas fighting illegal calls and I am proud these efforts are backed by President Trump. With more than 55 billion fraudulent calls placed nationwide in 2019, we can all look forward to fewer fake calls in 2020 thanks to the passage of the TRACED Act.”
The TRACED Act authorizes the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to issue additional civil penalties on people who intentionally violate restrictions on the use of automated telephone equipment, and directs the FCC to require voice service providers to offer call authentication technologies to consumers.
Rutledge led the fight against robocalls by working with state legislators to pass legislation to require telecommunication providers to submit annual reports to the Arkansas Public Service Commission to certify that all available and applicable technology is being employed to identify and block illegal robocalls and spoofing.
Rutledge also joined a bipartisan, public/private coalition agreement with every state’s attorney general and 12 phone companies earlier this year. The coalition adopted eight principals to fight illegal robocalls and pave the way for attorneys general to investigate and prosecute bad actors.
The Arkansas Attorney General’s Office received more than 9,000 complaints about phone scams and robocalls in 2019. Arkansans who would like to file a complaint can email the office at oag@ArkansasAG.gov or call (800) 482-8982.
