Federal Communications Commission	FCC 19-135


STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER GEOFFREY STARKS

Re: 	In the Matter of Kenneth Moser d/b/a Marketing Support Systems

I am pleased that we are imposing a stiff penalty in this case.  Mr. Moser’s actions harmed both the company whose number he spoofed and the thousands of people who received his distressing and factually baseless messages.  I appreciate the work of the bureau staff in making sure that this conduct is punished, consistent with our responsibilities under the Truth in Caller ID Act.  
The facts of this particular case are egregious, but they are not unfamiliar to the millions of Americans who receive unwanted robocalls every day.  Unwanted robocalls are a huge and growing problem, and we seem to reach a new record each year.  Over the course of this meeting alone, Americans will receive more than 20 million robocalls.  This scourge has changed the fabric of our culture – if you’re like me and you get a call from a number that you don’t recognize, you don’t pick it up.  And numbers from spoofed calls, which look like they are coming from a local business or neighbor, are especially pernicious because we can’t differentiate these unwanted robocalls from calls from our doctors or our kids’ schools.
We need a multi-pronged approach to rebuilding trust in our phone system, and vigorous enforcement must be part of our plan.  That’s why I have been so supportive of the Pallone-Thune TRACED Act.  Among other improvements, the TRACED Act will provide new tools, including extending our statute of limitations, that will enhance the Commission’s abilities to track down illegal robocallers, stop them, and hold them accountable.  I am hopeful that the TRACED Act will be signed into law soon and the Commission will be able to put those tools to work to deter bad actors.