FCC To Host Robocall Summit In July

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai Monday announced another significant step in ensuring implementation of more reliable caller ID information to combat malicious spoofed robocalls. 

Ajit Pai

The Chairman expects major phone companies to implement SHAKEN/STIR caller ID authentication standards this year, and he will host a summit on July 11, 2019 to examine industry’s progress toward meeting this deadline.  The summit will also identify any challenges to deployment of the SHAKEN/STIR framework and discuss how best to overcome them.

“Consumers want and need reliable caller ID information.  That’s why we must move aggressively to combat spoofed robocalls,” said Chairman Pai.  “I’ve repeatedly demanded that major voice service providers implement a strong call authentication framework this year.  I want to hear from them on the progress they’ve made toward meeting this goal.  We chose this industry-led path because it is the fastest way to help consumers, but I remain committed to taking regulatory action—action for which we’ve already laid the groundwork—if major carriers do not implement the SHAKEN/STIR framework this year.”

On July 11, 2019, Chairman Pai will welcome voice service providers and other technology stakeholders to a SHAKEN/STIR Robocall Summit.  This public event will focus on the industry’s implementation of the SHAKEN/STIR caller ID authentication framework and any technical hurdles to deployment that remain. 

Caller ID authentication will allow consumers to better trust caller ID information when they receive phone calls.  It will become a reality when phone companies adopt matching standards for how calls are signed as legitimate and how that authentication signature is reliably passed along from carrier to carrier until it gets to the consumer, who will be able to know such a call is likely authentic.  The standards themselves go by the acronyms SHAKEN (Signature-based Handling of Asserted information using toKENs) and STIR (Secure Telephony Identity Revisited).

Chairman Pai has pushed phone companies to collaborate and establish the standards needed for industry-wide adoption of the SHAKEN/STIR framework.  This approach is the fastest way to help consumers.