Kevin Rupy Testifies at U.S. Senate Subcommittee Hearing on Illegal Robocalls

April 11, 2019

Washington, DC—Kevin G. Rupy, partner in Wiley Rein’s Telecom, Media & Technology (TMT) Practice, testified today at a Senate Commerce subcommittee hearing entitled “Illegal Robocalls: Calling All to Stop the Scourge.” The hearing reviewed the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) first-ever report on robocalls, and the steps Congress is taking to shield consumers from illegal robocalls.

Mr. Rupy testified on behalf of USTelecom–The Broadband Association, where he served for more than 13 years as Vice President of Law and Policy before joining Wiley Rein last month.

In his written testimony to the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet, Mr. Rupy acknowledged the significant strides made by industry on addressing illegal robocalls – including the deployment of call authentication technologies. He also lauded civil enforcement actions by the FCC and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), but he also emphasized the “acute need for aggressive criminal enforcement against illegal robocallers at federal and state levels.”

“We believe, in particular, that U.S. Attorneys’ offices across the country should prioritize enforcement where federal statutes, such as the Truth in Caller ID Act, are implicated, and should work closely with the FCC and FTC and international partners in enforcement cases, particularly when the calls originate outside of the United States,” Mr. Rupy said.

Also testifying at today’s hearing were the Honorable Doug Peterson, Attorney General of the State of Nebraska, and Margot Saunders, Senior Counsel at the National Consumer Law Center.

Mr. Rupy is an industry leader in traditional and emerging communications legal and policy issues, and serves as a “go-to” attorney on key challenges facing the TMT industry. He has extensive experience working with government agencies, Congress, and industry on issues including common carrier regulation, cybersecurity, and copyright safe harbors for ISPs. He is nationally recognized as an authority on complex telecom matters – including top-priority efforts to curb illegal robocalls.

To read Mr. Rupy’s written testimony, please click here. Additional witness testimony and a video of the hearing are available here.