FCC says it closed a loophole that many robocallers used to evade blocking

The FCC said it closed a loophole by requiring small phone companies to use caller ID technology.

A year ago, large voice providers were required to implement a system. There was an exemption for carriers with 100,000 or fewer customers that would have given them more time to comply.

In December, the FCC voted to move the deadline up to June 30, 2022.

"Starting today, certain small phone companies must comply with FCC rules to implement caller ID verification on their networks, just as large voice service providers are required to since June 30, 2021," the FCC announcement said. The FCC rolled back an extended caller ID implementation timelines granted to these small phone companies because they are suspected of facilitating large numbers of illegal calls.

Robocallers have relied more on small companies

The FCC says that since large carriers implemented STIR/SHAKEN, "robo callers have sought to maintain anonymity and avoid enforcement and blocking tools." This has allowed calls to be passed from these networks to the other networks without the caller ID and traceback information.

The small carriers are now required to use the Caller ID technology on their internet protocol voice networks. The FCC said that there is a common information sharing language between networks that can be used to verify caller ID information.

The FCC requires voice providers to certify whether or not they have implemented the caller ID framework in order to be included in the database. The FCC can issue fines to providers that don't file certifications if they don't reject calls.

The requirements haven't been applied to the older networks because of technology limitations. The FCC requires providers using older forms of network technology to either upgrade their networks to IP or work on a caller ID solution that is operational on non-ip networks.

Gateway providers must use STIR/SHAKEN by June 2023

The exemption for small carriers was just one of many loopholes that made it possible for illegal calls to be made. A lot of illegal calls originate from overseas. The FCC defines a gateway provider as "a US-based intermediate provider that receives a call directly from a foreign originating provider or foreign intermediate provider at its US based facilities before sending the call downstream to another US-based provider."

In May, the FCC ordered each gateway provider to submit a certification and mitigated plan to the database. The order requires that calls beauthenticated by June 30, 2023.