Senator Jeremy Cooney Passes Bill to Help Stop Predatory Robocalls

(Albany, NY) — The Senate passed Senator Jeremy Cooney’s (D-Rochester) bill that requires telecommunication providers to block spam robocalls. Consumers regularly complain about robocalls as a source of frustration, but these calls also lead to scams that target vulnerable communities, like seniors. The legislation (S.6267A) will block a range of phone numbers used by spammers, including those that are not valid North American and numbers that are only used for inbound calls. 

Telecommunications companies will be required to create protections for consumers from unwanted calls and potential fraud as a result of this legislation.
The bill passed both the Senate and the Assembly. The bill carried on the Assembly side by Assemblymember Amy Paulin (D-District 88)

Senate Bill Sponsor: Senator Jeremy Cooney
 

Robocalls are not only an everyday annoyance, but also a predatory practice used to target vulnerable populations. Blocking robocalls will protect consumers from fraud, especially our seniors who have been targeted by scammers during the pandemic. Stopping as many illegitimate calls as possible will help New Yorkers feel secure when using their phones."

Assembly Bill Sponsor: Assemblymember Amy Paulin
“Robocalls are a daily annoyance,” said Assemblymember Amy Paulin. “No one wants to answer the phone anymore. You can’t even trust calls from local numbers. This bill is a critical step towards ending this nuisance by requiring that providers block calls from invalid or unallocated numbers. Enough is enough of this telephone harassment.”