FCC Approves STIR/SHAKEN Mandate and Seeks Comment on Expansion

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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) unanimously approved a STIR/SHAKEN call authentication mandate that TCPAWorld previously reported was circulated by Chairman Pai.

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The Order adopted by the agency “requires all originating and terminating voice service providers to implement STIR/SHAKEN in the Internet Protocol (IP) portions of their networks by June 30, 2021, a deadline that is consistent with Congress’s direction in the recently-enacted TRACED Act.  The FCC laid the groundwork for these new rules when it formally proposed and sought public comment on mandating STIR/SHAKEN implementation in June 2019.”

In addition, the FCC adopted a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM). The FNPRM  seeks  “comment on expanding the STIR/SHAKEN implementation mandate to cover intermediate voice service providers; extending the implementation deadline by one year for small voice service providers pursuant to the TRACED Act; adopting requirements to promote caller ID authentication on voice networks that do not rely on IP technology; and implementing other aspects of the TRACED Act.” 

The FCC estimates that the “benefits of eliminating the wasted time and nuisance caused by illegal scam robocalls will exceed $3 billion annually, and STIR/SHAKEN is an important part of realizing those cost savings.  Additionally, when paired with call analytics, STIR/SHAKEN will help protect American consumers from fraudulent robocall schemes that cost Americans approximately $10 billion annually.  Improved caller ID authentication will also benefit public safety by reducing spoofed robocalls that disrupt healthcare and emergency communications systems.  Further, implementation of STIR/SHAKEN will restore consumer trust in caller ID information and encourage consumers to answer the phone, to the benefit of consumers, businesses, healthcare providers, and non-profit organizations.” 

The text of Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking can be found here.