The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is proposing changes to eliminate a communications technology loophole in its efforts to thwart robocallers.
Currently, caller ID authentication tools intended to protect consumers from robocalls and scams apply a “digital fingerprint” to suspect calls to help warn consumers in advance. However, this fingerprint is scraped clean when any part of a call path passes through non-IP network technology, a loophole being exploited by robocallers.
Detailed in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), the FCC’s proposed changes would establish criteria for evaluating whether a caller ID authentication framework meets the government’s current standards under the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act.
Specifically, the proposed changes would establish criteria to evaluate whether a given framework meets those standards. The FCC says that two existing caller ID authentication frameworks have been determined to be compliant with those standards, while a third framework is under evaluation.
The NPRM also gives current providers two years to comply with a standards-compliant framework and will also require providers to regularly certify their implementation.
Public comment on the FCC’s proposal can be filed through the Commission’s electronic comment filing system at https://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/ (reference WC Docket No. 17-97). Comments must be filed by late May to be considered.
The FCC’s NPRM on caller ID authentication is available at https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-25-25A1.pdf.
