[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},"mediaId",6530439,"mediaKeyId","3657876-a5d849c94a3ccdece5cf835da7c5d205","parentId",3657876,"title","Witnesses urge stronger mitigation-database controls and international cooperation to protect seniors, hospitals and small businesses","audioSeconds",315,"startMs",2484000,"endMs",2799000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3657876-a5d849c94a3ccdece5cf835da7c5d205&start=2484&end=2799","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3657876-a5d849c94a3ccdece5cf835da7c5d205/thumbnail_2484000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6530439/Witnesses-urge-stronger-mitigation-database-controls-and-international-cooperation-to-protect-seniors-hospitals-and-small-businesses","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6530439-8ce34d6d9b3b22a837701373b4e25c63/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157252&Signature=PAfINjN7g3ZvXmkS5iVIMInCnB~5NXdg7PeWByVAkUxIGIlxZrCCPDLgfpLagqr9upYH9r6klqXfhNl~Qav4gZUcYCz-R3yzdxtMCzXOatVZvcFYy75gT8ZiN2zSVnJfJTP4OYBvwXei6OsCNgWBBmLrqdADncE4La-cU~9AVgNxb~lOCPUO8rNSRkFUoXnAn0x8GWGPoS5HE8VfOoDpDmwMBy1zSzcXValXDbhPX0H3hJOR1nmHEbpOUvGctqvaq1rK6tRYg-K0mY7I9WxXKCUpJNURAS4pASNKHp76Por34iWm5kA1HE3po4UfvGqDu2RSyCrvcQ8w6BkKmcdoGQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce","date","2025-06-04T14:55:15Z","article","Multiple lawmakers described constituent harms from robocalls and robotexts — including financial losses by seniors, operational disruptions for physicians and hospitals, and quality‑of‑life impacts for small businesses. Witnesses and members discussed concrete steps to reduce those harms, focusing on database accountability, cross‑sector information sharing and tailored protections for vulnerable groups.

A physician in a witness example reported dozens of disruptive calls during a business day that prevented timely use of phone-based clinical tools; members raised similar examples about Medicare‑related marketing calls that repeatedly contact older constituents. Industry witnesses described partnerships with banks and the banking sector pilot programs that match spoofed numbers to suspicious transactions to speed investigations and recovery.

Proposed operational fixes included stronger vetting and bonding for members of the Robocall Mitigation Database so that repeat offenders face meaningful cost or loss of access; enhanced call-labeling and branded‑calling (logo/identity verification) to help recipients identify legitimate calls; and expanded consumer-reporting pathways (e.g., forwarding spam texts to 7726) to improve filtering algorithms.

Witnesses also recommended better international cooperation, including mutual legal assistance and operational MOUs, noting that some high-volume fraud originates abroad and that multilateral law-enforcement action can shut down foreign call centers. Committee members asked the witnesses to follow up with detailed proposals and industry data to support statutory or regulatory change.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","O&I Hearing: Stopping Illegal Robocalls and Robotexts: Progress, Challenges, and Next Steps","oneSentenceSummary","Committee members and witnesses described real-world harms from persistent robocalls — including to seniors, physicians and hospital operations — and urged reforms to the mitigation database, better industry–bank information sharing, and stronger international law enforcement cooperation.","taxTitle","Energy and Commerce: House Committee, Standing Committees - House & Senate, Congressional Hearings Compilation, Legislative, Federal","taxId",1824,"location","","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6530444,"Industry and legal witnesses tell House TCPA private-right-of-action has been abused, driving costly suits",128,230000,358000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3657876-a5d849c94a3ccdece5cf835da7c5d205&start=230&end=358","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3657876-a5d849c94a3ccdece5cf835da7c5d205/thumbnail_230000.jpg","/articles/6530444/Industry-and-legal-witnesses-tell-House-TCPA-private-right-of-action-has-been-abused-driving-costly-suits","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6530444-fef87dc79b566a7ccc7de3e6b35b02f1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157252&Signature=iLo--MWMM6EWrX~OgIrZfonYR09jJSzm5GEw0lc~UYKR~HRxnQcW1TTXF3Fvf4CpRewm0j66C-cSsAFIzysc5fmfpAJR03e5c2pN81bOSkqg67OjU5mBfRh3wefnUhgMWdnY2nJ7z36ACjhMm9CF4LTQ21-eQWgXtbCWzFUMdF7iG~mCOu74PI-jweG9UXkXzmbzPQMzZVY~We2REY04yBrgi0VuxHYkNMsmc94PcCJRwfPriFqmHSQ77jBT87GjtTH~18K-~oNZXHPZ1~jGe-6erYv~HF7HkMjuibbwCj0BDDcMr8VFKXA5lmru1~exNm8hdaPRnvvP~awCF~5tGQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the hearing, legal and industry witnesses described how litigation under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act's (TCPA) private right of action (PRA) has sometimes been used as a profit-making vehicle rather than as a tool to reach overseas scammers. Witnesses said the PRA's structure — including per‑occurrence statutory damages and uncapped attorney fees in some cases — has incentivized mass filing strategies that target domestic businesses rather than the hard‑to‑find foreign fraudsters.

A witness criticized the absence of statutory caps and specific fee limits, noting contrast to other federal statutes. He cited cases where judgments reached into the hundreds of millions of dollars and argued that many suits focus on discovery costs and settlements rather than litigation to deter scammers located abroad.

Several witnesses suggested Congress consider targeted reforms to preserve consumers' ability to sue when legitimately harmed, while preventing predatory ‘‘strike suits.’\" Suggested approaches included adopting damage caps similar to HIPAA, tightening standards for automated dialing system definitions, or creating mechanisms that prioritize claims against the true bad actors. Committee members expressed bipartisan interest in protecting legitimate consumer claims while curbing abusive litigation tactics.

No bills were adopted at the hearing; members and witnesses signaled willingness to craft legislative language that balances consumer remedies and abuse prevention.","Panelists said the TCPA's private right of action has been exploited by a small number of firms pursuing high-value settlements rather than going after overseas scam perpetrators, and they suggested statutory adjustments modeled on other federal laws.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6530449,"Panel warns AI and deepfakes are amplifying robocall and robotext scams",261,1558000,1819000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3657876-a5d849c94a3ccdece5cf835da7c5d205&start=1558&end=1819","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3657876-a5d849c94a3ccdece5cf835da7c5d205/thumbnail_1558000.jpg","/articles/6530449/Panel-warns-AI-and-deepfakes-are-amplifying-robocall-and-robotext-scams","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6530449-8e47fb8f90e017d9e8d6fe9a6f7410b2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157252&Signature=MGnSsf-OVmMClHy5lw5RpeQdU6EcAMPJgyXAmC2p0UbLlmXVWUPAWHW8Lg6Cy1oBMbCEMPtDxHoR2ba8-j50cUQsLePHV5YcptTRfEeMZWNC-DbDvO~Trxkiop0cPT0Fef-WVAeL71qzRm4T4F4vNxGqUgWkA1TOzQGPRayHryCd2V-CpAw55bPcQtRmGTUm6lKzwTTlSiOouDN-4Qctk1bjkSt4poBWAlWcYlpmCepuzeT8J05b~nd9HTOE~ZYPfLTAS4OFifwGPQl~RT8jM-U~Ol2dykTag3OpP2VcQVkj8p52A7AxBDMr7ESy9APB1Si0~-jLR7EVhJ0OSPNRQQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Witnesses at the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing described how artificial intelligence has changed the makeup of robocall and robotext scams, making them faster, more convincing and more damaging. Testimony divided AI harms into two broad categories: text-generation tools that scale and polish fraudulent messages, and voice/video impersonation tools that enable real-time deepfake scams.

A consumer advocate said AI text generators make it trivial to produce grammatically clean, targeted messages that include convincing social‑engineering elements and links to payment portals. He and other witnesses noted harrowing anecdotes in which callers used cloned voices of family members to persuade elderly victims to transfer funds.

Industry witnesses said they are deploying AI-based detection tools and enhanced fraud teams to analyze larger data volumes and detect patterns in real time. But they also cautioned that consumer education has limits: even well-informed people can be fooled by convincing AI-generated impersonations. Witnesses recommended a mix of improved industry filtering, mandatory transparency requirements for AI-generated calls and stronger enforcement against the underlying criminal actors.

Lawmakers asked whether a federal moratorium on state AI laws — described in a recently discussed reconciliation package — would hinder states' ability to use AI to fight scams. A witness said the industry opposes a 10‑year moratorium on state AI bills and that such a moratorium would harm consumers by limiting state-level protections.

No new AI-related legislation was passed at the hearing; members and witnesses suggested Congress consider codifying certain AI disclosure requirements and increasing penalties for AI‑generated scam calls.

","Witnesses told the committee that generative AI and voice cloning have made scams more convincing and scalable, shifting attacks from mass spoofing to targeted and AI-enhanced impersonation that is harder for consumers to detect.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6530453,"Industry witnesses tell House traceback work and STIR/SHAKEN helped cut spoofing but gaps remain",62,698000,760000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3657876-a5d849c94a3ccdece5cf835da7c5d205&start=698&end=760","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3657876-a5d849c94a3ccdece5cf835da7c5d205/thumbnail_698000.jpg","/articles/6530453/Industry-witnesses-tell-House-traceback-work-and-STIRSHAKEN-helped-cut-spoofing-but-gaps-remain","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6530453-28ad361ef446374a7bbb30c1581bad91/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157252&Signature=X761hcfktkX22~AM6FPXbvUPGBpGdqZfpe~4x4p1Qlb9KiT4nQ71V42qx2FkviMOkjv8PYsDZY6JY6t3h9E4Mq3FHI0wizUwWpl~c3JLp3n6zhKLgoBKmLOuPW44lKzrZnxKUBQMvPv8Oh6u~bE3QThy32TITQ~lpcXhSm7JKIfqFZzL0brW0pMgINylapwaTc9IbrwMpKPv4~YmkDxi041SzaTeZjNPF~TbWMdyoFIZbv2euLoepBMb10Bi20ulZ~ZWTeTVtHWb~0myBzpdYJrRGlVT9rBStj3zSucvBbjsvIMWjQSsK2rGx8IB9yVtjZLp6rD4d~e1nXJdqJ8LFw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Industry representatives told the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee that the combination of STIR/SHAKEN caller authentication, the TRACE Act and private traceback efforts has reduced many large-scale spoofing campaigns but has not eliminated scam calls and texts.

An industry traceback representative said the industry portal uses a hop-by-hop process to trace calls and that their efforts have identified thousands of providers across dozens of countries in investigations used by the FCC, FTC and state attorneys general. CTIA described its Secure Messaging Initiative as a cross‑sector effort to share actionable robotext data with law enforcement; it said the initiative has produced information packages on common scam themes and that carriers blocked tens of billions of texts last year.

Witnesses and members described operational limits: intermediary service providers can number in the thousands and may be registered with minimal vetting in the FCC's mitigation database, making accountability difficult. They said STIR/SHAKEN helped reduce spoofing-based mass robocalls, but fraudsters shifted to obtaining valid U.S.-based numbers or to more targeted campaigns, which the framework does not always prevent.

Committee members asked about concrete fixes. Witnesses recommended better vetting and consequences in the Robocall Mitigation Database (including bonding or stronger delisting consequences), faster international cooperation via MOUs and enhanced industry–bank partnerships to trace spoofed bank numbers and identify downstream victim transactions. They stressed that traceback, authentication and blocking are complementary tools that must be paired with enforcement.

No formal actions were taken at the hearing.","Witnesses described how the industry-led traceback work and STIR/SHAKEN authentication reduced many spoofing campaigns; they said gaps persist because of intermediary providers, imperfect information and international actors.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6530458,"Experts at House hearing say robocall fight needs more authority and staffing for FCC, FTC and DOJ",696,516000,1212000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3657876-a5d849c94a3ccdece5cf835da7c5d205&start=516&end=1212","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3657876-a5d849c94a3ccdece5cf835da7c5d205/thumbnail_516000.jpg","/articles/6530458/Experts-at-House-hearing-say-robocall-fight-needs-more-authority-and-staffing-for-FCC-FTC-and-DOJ","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6530458-84d3a10197838c36ad8e0cdad68af1b2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157252&Signature=MsR1xVqyG4WRFnnqwJ-WrnHykxmPtFJ0mCuwPV0xkFBMM5L8JFCcowpBfpzSUj~WOWNmgwQIWMgtfjV2C-WnS~cpo4oF8-wgmH92IVq4nnt2hNy2AtYrK7r~MCIp2F1zwOwHLULLAjdTVSDi4Jz7MBMW49DvsR67VuLSCTVL8J-nqri5onckmiBHnDG20DY3DEpBMzw-ydkalKdWp7f4jslECdj7JK94efXH~7iWyre4p9tcIptvESWla4BJsQGtwwKJcUisEz5lrBIjDPBDKYb~alM7QMY2WCTZ~YVesfhxSODT9Xapycx9fQnyzI9486hqJa6kunkFtMtE~wubMA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on robocalls and robotexts, industry and consumer-protection witnesses said enforcement agencies need more staff, funding and explicit authorities from Congress to pursue large-scale fraud and collect penalties. The discussion centered on whether the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice (DOJ) currently have the tools and personnel to hold prolific scammers accountable and to cooperate with industry traceback efforts.

Witnesses said the TRACE Act and STIR/SHAKEN framework have helped reduce spoofing and some high-volume scam campaigns, but they argued that criminal enforcement, sustained agency independence and resources are required to disrupt cross-border criminal networks. \"Under resourced consumer protection agencies is just a big win for scammers,\" one witness said, adding that enforcement and investigative capacity is essential to impose consequences and deter repeat offenders.

Members of the committee raised recent administration actions, including the removal of commissioners and proposed staff and budget reductions, and asked witnesses how those moves would affect enforcement. Witnesses testified that reduced staffing, the loss of Senate-confirmed commissioners and budget cuts can hamper investigations and limit the agencies' ability to collect fines — pointing out that agencies often must refer fine collection to DOJ and lack direct collection power. Several members said that weakening independent agencies sends a signal to bad actors that enforcement risk is lower.

Witnesses urged Congress to consider changes including: codifying additional authorities (for example, clearer authorities to collect fines without referral), sustained funding for enforcement teams, and enhanced collaboration with state attorneys general and international partners. They also recommended measures to make the FCC's Robocall Mitigation Database and related tools more effective through stricter standards and faster removal of repeat bad actors.

Committee members from both parties recounted constituent harms, particularly to older Americans, emphasizing that enforcement helps protect victims and limits financial losses. Witnesses and members agreed that technological fixes alone are insufficient — enforcement and coordinated prosecution remain critical to stopping organized scammers.

The hearing produced no formal votes or new directives; lawmakers and witnesses left the door open for follow-up legislation to grant agencies clearer authority and funding to sustain and expand investigations.

","Witnesses and committee members told the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee that progress against robocalls and robotexts has been made, but that recent firings, proposed budget cuts and limited authority are weakening federal enforcement capacity and could worsen the problem.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Witnesses urge stronger mitigation-database controls and international cooperation to protect seniors, hospitals and small businesses

Industry and legal witnesses tell House TCPA private-right-of-action has been abused, driving costly suits

Panel warns AI and deepfakes are amplifying robocall and robotext scams

Industry witnesses tell House traceback work and STIR/SHAKEN helped cut spoofing but gaps remain

Experts at House hearing say robocall fight needs more authority and staffing for FCC, FTC and DOJ