(The Center Square) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed a bill tightening rules on telemarketers who bombard consumers with billions of “robocalls” every year.
The new restrictions, approved by the state Legislature, aim to reduce calls by nearly doubling the fine for telemarketers violating the nationwide do-not-call registry to $20,000 from the current $11,000 penalty.
“Every day, hard-working New Yorkers are forced to field call after call from relentless telemarketers,” Hochul said in a statement. “We’re raising the penalty for violators of the Do Not Call Registry to deter telemarketers, protect New Yorkers, and send a clear message that New York won’t tolerate these frustrating, unsolicited calls.”
One of the bill’s chief sponsors, state Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-Rome, said in a statement that the new telemarketing restrictions “will provide some much-needed relief to New Yorkers who are sick and tired of receiving bothersome, inconvenient and troublesome calls every day.”
Hochul signed legislation in 2021 requiring telemarketers to give customers the option to be added to the company’s do-not-call list at the beginning of certain telemarketing calls.
In July, the Federal Trade Commission and other regulators announced a nationwide crackdown to stop companies from inundating consumers with billions of unwanted and illegal robocalls and telemarketing calls.
New York is a member of the Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force, a group of Attorneys General authorized to investigate and take legal action against companies responsible for routing significant volumes of illegal robocall traffic.
In May, New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a multi-state federal lawsuit against an Arizona-based company accused of facilitating “billions” of robocalls that “scammed” Americans out of millions of dollars.
The lawsuit alleges the company, a Voice over Internet Protocol provider, facilitated more than 7.5 billion calls to numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry, a database of consumers requesting to be excluded from robocalls.
The company has denied the allegations and pledged to “defend itself vigorously and vindicate its rights and reputation through the legal process.”
