Proposed bill would keep cell phones ringing

A proposed bill could bring more calls to your cell phone.

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller is urging Congress to not let that happen and to reject that bill. Miller says if passed, Iowans would receive floods of annoying automated calls.

"It's annoying. I just hang up. I don't even listen to them," said Emily Carlson of Iowa City.

Currently, it's illegal for robo-calls to be made to cell phones unless a person gives prior consent or if it's a political call. But the proposed bill, called the Mobile Informational Call Act of 2011, wants to get rid of that law, allowing some companies and businesses to call your cell phone unless told otherwise.

"I don't like it, I don't support it. I would rather not have some random people calling me," said Josh Breger of Iowa City.

"I don't think robots should call phones," said Adam Tussing of Iowa City. "There is no point, most people just hang up anyway."

The proposed bill says there's a need for change, because many people primarily use cell phones for communication and it would allow people to receive important information faster. But Miller joined in with 48 other state attorneys to oppose this bill to Congress, stating the bill could open up the door for soliciting, marketing, and debt collection calls, while wasting people's time and cell phone minutes.

"I don't think it's right for them to call my cell phone, I don't know how it gets out there anyway," said Carlson.

The bill would prohibit telephone solicitations, and would still require businesses to have prior express consent. But Miller said he's concerned it would open up too many opportunities for unwanted telemarketers.