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Scammers and others blanket Americans with billions of illegal robocalls annually, many of which originate overseas. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted new rules to help block these automated calls, which have become increasingly vexing for consumers.
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“I’m a consumer, too,” said FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel. “I receive robocalls at home, in my office, on my landline, on my mobile. I’ve even received multiple robocalls sitting here on this dais. I want it to stop.”
Robocallers use a variety of deceptive techniques to get you to answer, including spoofing, which tricks caller ID into displaying fake phone numbers. Sometimes those numbers are designed to use your three-digit area code, making the call look like it’s coming from a neighbor — not another country.
The new rules adopted by the FCC on May 19 target what are called gateway providers, which regulators describe as “on-ramps for international call traffic.” Overseas robocallers send a call to a gateway provider, which in turn hands the call off to a U.S. network carrier. Data cited by the FCC indicates that 2 out of 3 voice service providers transmitting illegal robocalls in 2021 were either gateway providers or foreign based.
At the direction of the FCC, most large telecommunication companies use a technical protocol called STIR/SHAKEN to verify that calls originate from the number that shows up on your phone. The new FCC rules compel gateway providers to comply with the same caller ID authentication protocols. Gateway providers are now required to work to block illegal robocalls, take responsibility for illegal robocalls that get through their networks, and aid the FCC in tracing and identifying illegal robocallers.
The FCC had given smaller companies — those with fewer than 100,000 subscribers — an extension until June 30, 2023, to implement STIR/SHAKEN technology. Robocallers simply moved their operations to those smaller companies. In December, the SEC moved up the deadline to June 30, 2022, for those small companies to implement the STIR/SHAKEN protocol.
