Bill · S. 1025· Senate(119-S-1025)
FCC Legal Enforcement Act
- Introduced
- 3/13/2025
- Last activity
- 3/13/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Sponsored by
- Ben Luján
- Cosponsors
- - 5 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The FCC Legal Enforcement Act aims to authorize the Federal Communications Commission to enforce its own forfeiture penalties. This specifically applies to violations involving restrictions on the use of telephone equipment. If the Attorney General does not act within 120 days of a referral, the Commission can then start and manage its own litigation or appeals. The bill also directs the FCC to prioritize penalties exceeding $25,000,000 regarding these restrictions. Additionally, it adjusts how the Commission regulates automated telephone equipment to protect subscribers.
Yes· 3 of 4
Does this give the federal government more power?+4
The bill expands the FCC's authority to independently litigate and manage its own legal actions.
Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices?+3
The bill enhances consumer protection by empowering the FCC to more effectively enforce penalties against illegal telephone equipment use.
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?+2
The bill may indirectly benefit low-income households by providing more tools to combat unwanted automated telephone calls.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Increased Protection from Unwanted Calls: The bill amends Section 227(b)(2) to allow the Commission to take actions as necessary to protect subscribers from unwanted calls (Section 3).
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Enhanced Enforcement of Penalties: By allowing the Commission to commence and supervise its own litigation and appeals if the Attorney General does not act within 120 days, the bill provides a mechanism for recovering unpaid penalties related to telephone equipment restrictions (Section 2(a)(1)).
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Targeted Enforcement for Large Violations: The FCC is instructed to prioritize the enforcement of unpaid forfeiture penalties that are greater than $25,000,000 regarding restrictions on the use of telephone equipment (Section 2(b)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No negative impacts or burdens are explicitly mentioned in the provided text.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Low Income Households+2Good For Middle Class Households+2
- Governance And Ideology
- Increases Federal Power+4
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Consumer Protection+3
- 3/13/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- 5 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in Senate
Richard BlumenthalDemocrat · Connecticut
Richard DurbinDemocrat · Illinois
Amy KlobucharDemocrat · Minnesota
Brian SchatzDemocrat · Hawaii
Peter WelchDemocrat · Vermont