Annoying Robocalls Could Be Banned In NY

NEW YORK — Some New York lawmakers want to put speed-dialing robots out of work. State Sen. Brad Hoylman and Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou are pushing a bill to ban annoying robocalls in the Empire State.

The Manhattan Democrats' Robocall Prevention Act would make it illegal for any person or entity to make robocalls to any New Yorker's phone number without permission, unless there is an emergency. The bill passed the Senate's Energy and Telecommunications Committee on Tuesday.

The legislation aims to strengthen regulations governing the mysterious and ubiquitous calls, which often try to scam seniors, immigrants and others, the lawmakers say.

"There isn’t an issue I hear more about from constituents than the proliferation of robocalls," Hoylman said in a statement. "These calls aren’t just annoying — they’re dangerous, and often used to defraud unsuspecting consumers, seniors, and vulnerable New Yorkers."

Some 4.9 billion robocalls were placed across the United States last month, including 294.7 million — or about 122 per second — in New York State, according to YouMail's robocall index. Nearly half, about 46.6 percent, of the calls nationwide were scams, YouMail says.

Niou said her constituents have been scammed by calls seeking money for trips, packages immigration help for a family member in a different country. Others even demand money posing as the Chinese consulate, she said.

"The current regulations New York and the Federal Government have are not enough and we must do better to protect our consumers from harassment and predatory tactics," Niou said in a statement.

In addition to banning unwanted calls, Hoylman and Niou's bill would give the state attorney general enforcement power over robocalls and allow for civil penalties as high as $2,000 per call, up to $20,000 for calls placed illegally within a 72-hour period.

New Yorkers could also sue robocallers on their own if the bill were to become law. And phone companies would be required under the legislation to offer consumers free technology to block robocalls.

The proposal won praise from consumer advocates who said it would stem the tide of robocalls while filling gaps in federal law.

"Senator Hoylman's and Assembly Member Niou’s bill will stop most unwanted calls, and ensure New Yorkers can say no at any time, even if they previously agreed to them," Chuck Bell, the programs director at Consumer Reports, said in a statement.

But three Republican senators voted against the bill on Tuesday. Sen. Patty Ritchie said she had concerns about phone companies' ability to implement the call-blocking technology and whether they would be fined if calls get through.

"I would be supportive of the bill if I had heard from the people that it's going to affect that this was not going to be an issue for them, but that's not what I've heard," said Ritchie, an upstate Republican. "Even though I would like to do away with as many of those calls as possible I'm going to be a no vote."