The FCC said yesterday that service provider Global UC is being cut off from other networks because it failed to meet the commission’s requirements for protecting consumers against scam robocalls and malicious caller ID spoofing.
The company is being removed from the Robocall Mitigation Database, which requires all intermediate providers and terminating voice service providers to cease accepting the company’s traffic. This is the first time the FCC has taken such an action.
The FCC had earlier given seven companies including Global UC 14 days to show that they should not be removed from the database. During the two weeks, these companies were to demonstrate that they meet robocall mitigation requirements, including the implementation of STIR/SHAKEN throughout their IP networks. If they failed to do so, they can be removed from the database.
The regulator said it is continuing to review other providers whose robocall mitigation efforts the commission has questioned.
To be certified in the FCC Robocall Mitigation Database, a carrier must have implemented the STIR/SHAKEN caller ID authentication protocols and/or detailed robocall mitigation plans for any portions of their networks where STIR/SHAKEN cannot be implemented (such as non-IP networks).
Applicants failing to meet the FCC’s robocall mitigation standards receive notification from the FCC’s Wireline Communication Bureau and, if they fail to respond and correct their filing, they may receive a “show cause” order from the Enforcement Bureau, as Global UC did.
“For too long, robocalls have flooded our phones and facilitated fraud. So we are using a new tool to fight against these scam calls. We are cutting providers off and preventing them from accessing our networks when they fail to demonstrate they will protect consumers. This is a novel way to stop robocalls and it’s one we are going to keep using until we get this junk off the line,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a prepared statement.
The action is one of several the FCC’s Robocall Response Team has taken in an effort to combat robocalls. Other actions include:
- A “K4 Notice” authorizing all U.S.-based voice service providers to cease carrying specified traffic related to an auto warranty scam robocall campaign, resulting in a 99% drop in the volume of these calls since June, according to RoboKiller;
- A “K4 Notice” was recently issued against a student loan robocall campaign, after a consumer alert and Enforcement Advisory;
- Ensuring that STIR/SHAKEN standards have been widely implemented across IP networks;
- Record-breaking spoofing and robocall fines;
- Closing gateways used by international robocallers to reach Americans’ phones;
- Launching a robotext proceeding to protect consumers from scam text messages.
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