Today, the FCC proposed new and more specific requirements to hold voice service providers accountable for “bad actors” making illegal robocalls through their voice platforms, as well as strengthening the STIR/SHAKEN framework to more effectively implement caller ID for the purpose of cutting down on robocalls.
If accepted, the new requirements would “expose providers that enable illegal calls and root them out of the voice ecosystem.” There are already requirements in place for providers to identify and stop these callers, but the FCC notes that some providers are simply ignoring the requirements and continuing to allow “bad actors” to use their services. The new rules would “raise the bar to ensure that all voice service providers in a call path are vetted.” The FCC would require providers to collect information about the users, verify that information, monitor traffic, and discontinue service to the users if confirmed that they’re making illegal calls.
As far as the STIR/SHAKEN caller ID framework, the FCC would like to strengthen the effort to find, label, and block calls coming from the bad actors. Again, these rules are already in place, but some providers have not followed through on implementation.
The proposed changes are designed to build on the FCC’s “effort to protect consumers and restore trust in voice communications by combatting calls at every point in the call path.” The rules would also give more accurate caller ID information, allowing consumers to make informed decisions about answering or ignoring calls that do get through.