If it passes, a new bipartisan bill in Congress would punish companies that rely on overseas call centers for their tech support.
The U.S. Call Center and Consumer Protection Act was introduced in Congress December 7 by Representatives Tim Bishop (D-NY), Mike Michaud (D-ME), Gene Green (D-TX) and Dave McKinley (R-WV).
The focus of the bill is to limit the number of companies that use call-center outsourcing, which Bishop called “one of the scourges of our economy,” the Huffington Post reports. It would do so by:
- Forbidding any company with an offshore call center from receiving federal grants or loans
- Requiring call center employees to announce their location at the beginning of a call and offer a caller the option of being transferred to someone in America, and
- Force companies that relocate a call center off-shore to provide 120 days’ notice and make a list of companies that do so available to the public.
The law would apply to businesses in all industries. We’ll keep you posted on the bill’s progress.