Sponsor
Virginia Ann Foxx
Representative · R-NC
Representative · R-NC
Directs the FTC to ban politically-oriented prerecorded telephone calls to numbers on the National Do-Not-Call Registry within 180 days.
The bill reduces prerecorded political robocalls and strengthens privacy protections for Do-Not-Call registrants, but it limits a campaign outreach tool, may shift nuisance contacts to other channels, and creates some enforcement and compliance costs.
People on the Do-Not-Call registry (e.g., seniors, retirees, middle-class families) will get fewer unsolicited prerecorded political robocalls, reducing interruptions and nuisance calls.
Consumers’ privacy is strengthened by restricting automated political calls to numbers that consumers have not explicitly opted out of receiving telemarketing-type calls.
The FTC is given a clear statutory 180‑day deadline to implement the rule change, which could speed enforcement and provide faster relief for affected consumers.
Political campaigns and advocacy groups will be barred from using prerecorded calls to reach people on the Do-Not-Call list, reducing one channel for outreach and voter contact.
Because the prohibition is limited to prerecorded calls, callers may shift toward live calls, texts, or email, moving the nuisance burden to other channels rather than eliminating it.
Enforcement and compliance will create additional costs for the FTC and for callers (campaigns and vendors), which could increase spending by taxpayers and small organizations.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Official title: To direct the Federal Trade Commission to revise the regulations regarding the "do-not-call" registry to prohibit politically-oriented recorded message telephone calls to telephone numbers listed on that registry.
Introduced September 8, 2026 by Virginia Ann Foxx · Last progress September 8, 2026
Prohibits politically-oriented prerecorded telephone calls from being placed to telephone numbers listed on the National Do-Not-Call Registry by requiring the FTC to revise its Telemarketing Sales Rule within 180 days. The bill defines covered calls as outbound calls that play a recorded message because no person is available and that promote, solicit, or mention political candidates or issues. The FTC must issue the rule change within 180 days of enactment; affected parties would include political campaigns and organizations that use prerecorded calls, robocall vendors, and consumers who have registered their numbers on the Do-Not-Call list.