SB 201

Abstract

Virginia Telephone Privacy Protection Act.Provides that for the purposes of the Virginia Telephone Privacy Act (the Act), "telephone solicitation call" includes any text message sent to any wireless telephone with a Virginia area code, or toa wireless telephone registered to any natural person who is a resident of the Commonwealth, for the purpose of offering or advertising anyproperty, goods, or services for sale, lease, license, or investment,including offering or advertising an extension of credit. The billprohibits a telephone solicitor from engaging in any conduct thatresults in the display of false or misleading caller identificationinformation on the called party's telephone. The bill increases theamount of damages and the amount of the civil penalty for violationsof the Act from $500 for each such violation to $500 for a firstviolation, $1,000 for a second violation, and $5,000 for each subsequentviolation and increases to $5,000 the maximum civil penalty the courtmay impose for a willful first or second violation.