Sen. Charles Schumer at a pizza place in Buffalo Monday outlined bipartisan legislation called the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence, or TRACED Act.
- 207 million robocalls in Buffalo so far this year
- Bipartisan legislation calling for tough penalties
- Calls impacting area business
The measure includes increased fines of $10,000 per robocall made, and requires all providers to trace and stop calls as well.
Schumer says 51 million robocalls were made last month in the 716 area code, making it tough for businesses with a limited number of phone lines.
"If we have two, three different lines tied up at the same time, fielding the bogus calls, some customers may be trying to call, so if they have a busy line, some might call back in a few minutes, some might just go elsewhere. Buffalo's a saturated market with pizza so we're trying to get our share of the pie," said Michael Rizzo, Sports City Pizza Pub.
Schumer says the legislation should hit the floor this summer.