Legislation would ban political 'robocalls'

If your household is anything like mine, election time brings not only multiple mailings for what seems like practically every political candidate and issue on the ballot, but a healthy dose of automated phone calls from a vast array of characters, ranging from local and state candidates to former President Bill Clinton, all urging us to go vote for the candidate of their choosing. If one state legislator has his way, that could become a thing of the past.

State Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison, announced today that he plans to introduce legislation that will ban the use of automated, computerized phone calls, known as robocalls.

Robocalls are calls dialed by a computer to a large number of telephones to deliver a prerecorded message. Use of these kinds of calls has been steadily increasing, much to the frustration of many phone owners. Black believes they have become an intrusion into our personal privacy and plans to bring forth his legislation sometime this month.

For more on the bill and possible exemptions, see this article. Then vote in our online poll, letting us know your feelings about robocalls and the proposed legislation.