Senator Cooney's Robocall Blocking Legislation Signed into Law

(ALBANY, NY) - Today, Governor Hochul signed Senator Jeremy Cooney (D-Rochester) legislation blocking most robocalls into law. The bill passed both the Assembly and Senate during the 2021 legislative session, with sponsorship from Senator Cooney and Assemblywoman Amy Paulin (D-Scarsdale).

 It is estimated that Americans received about 16.3 billion robocalls in the first five months of 2018 alone, and, in the month of September 2018, roughly 4.4 billion robocalls were reported. This number is projected to rise exponentially in coming years unless preventative measures like this legislation are put into place. This bill mirrors the FCC rule released in November of 2017 and requires telecommunication providers to block calls coming from numbers that are not valid North American numbers, numbers that are valid but are not assigned to a provider, and valid numbers assigned to a provider but are confirmed by the provider to be unused.

 Senator Jeremy Cooney: 

Robocalls are disruptive, pervasive, and serve no benefit to families and communities. Blocking robocalls can protect vulnerable consumer populations from predatory practices, in particular our seniors who have been targeted by scammers during the pandemic. I am proud to sponsor this legislation, which blocks the majority of robocalls and I am grateful to Governor Hochul for taking this step to help New Yorkers feel safe when using their phones.”

 Kelly Zunner-Daniels, Director of the Upstate Elder Abuse Center at Lifespan of Greater Rochester: 

“The importance of blocking these annoying, and sometimes dangerous, robocalls cannot be overstated. We know of too many instances where older adults believe their Social Security number has been compromised, or they worry they need to renew their car warranty, and provide personal information to predatory callers. Laws like this are welcomed by all.”

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