As he promised last week, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) has reintroduced the Repeated Objectionable Bothering of Consumers on Phones (“ROBOCOP”) Act in the US Senate. S. 1212 was referred to the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, of which Blumenthal is a member. At this time, the actual text of the bill is not yet available. However, we do know that the proposal, which currently has five Democratic co-sponsors, would require that telecom companies offer consumers optional free robocall-blocking technology.

As was the case last year, Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA) has introduced a companion bill in the House of Representatives, H.R. 2298. Referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the Speier bill currently has fourteen Democratic co-sponsors. More to come as details emerge.