Are there going to be fewer robocalls in New York?
Legislation signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul is intended to do so, building on federal action to combat robocalls.
“New Yorkers are fed up with annoying, predatory robocalls, and we’re taking action to stop them,” Hochul said. “This legislation will enable telecommunications companies to prevent these calls from coming in in the first place, as well as empower our state government to ensure that voice service providers are validating who is making these calls so enforcement action can be taken against bad actors.”
The legislation allows companies like Spectrum or Verizon to proactively block calls from certain numbers. This includes the calls that come from numbers that appear legitimate, but are actually fake.
There will also be increased requirements for validating where phone calls are coming from. For example, calls must come from the number displayed.
“Robocalls are disruptive, pervasive, and serve no benefit to families and communities,” said Senator Jeremy Cooney. “Blocking spam and robocalls can protect vulnerable consumer populations from predatory practices, in particular our seniors who have been targeted by scammers during the pandemic.”
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