Urges Congress and President to enact "Do Not Disturb Act."
Impact
If passed, the 'Do Not Disturb Act' would expand anti-robocall protections, tackle the misuse of artificial intelligence in scamming practices, and alleviate costs related to robocall blocking technology for consumers. This legislative effort stems from the recognition that spam and scam calls often exploit loopholes in current law, causing distress particularly among vulnerable populations, such as senior citizens.
Summary
SJR50 is a joint resolution introduced in the New Jersey Legislature urging Congress and the President of the United States to enact the 'Do Not Disturb Act.' This resolution responds to a significant problem facing American citizens, where an estimated 2.1 billion spam and scam calls are made each month, leading to over 195 million hours wasted on answering these calls in 2023. The measure aims to protect consumers from unwanted and potentially harmful calls and texts.
Contention
One notable point of contention is rooted in the definitions established by the United States Supreme Court in the case of Facebook, Inc. v. Duguid, which limits the classification of 'automatic telephone dialing systems' under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. This ruling has left many types of robocalls unregulated, giving scammers the opportunity to continue their fraudulent activities. Advocates for the Do Not Disturb Act argue that it must amend these definitions to close such loopholes, providing stronger consumer protections against the innovative fraud tactics being employed today.