The End of Robocalls Grows Near

Published On April 13, 2020 | By Tom Huskerson | News and Analysis

Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act was signed into law in December. It requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to actually do something about those pain in the ass robocalls and spoofers. The FCC is responding.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said that asking carriers to implement the STIR/SHAKEN technical standards was just not working. The new rules puts in place a hard deadline for major carriers to implement the protocols and better protect callers against scams. Smaller providers may still receive a one-year extension. The rules take affect June of 2021.

The FCC says the newly adopted rules requires carriers to implement the STIR/SHAKEN protocols will help curb the problem and permit authorities to track down robocalling operations. According to the FCC robocalls and fraudulent calling schemes cost the American consumer roughly $10 billion annually. The agency estimates robocalls impact productivity and waste time. This move could save the the economy more than $3 billion annually.

FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel believes the coronavirus-related scams peddling fake cures and other scams amid a global health crisis is a good reason why the protocols should have been enforced sooner.

In a statement Rosenworcel said, “The Coronavirus pandemic already has robbed too many of us of our health while the rest of us are confined to our homes to do our part to prevent the further spread of this virus. So it is good news that today the Federal Communications Commission adopts rules to reduce robocalls through call authentication. I only wish we had done so sooner, like three years ago when the FCC first proposed the use of STIR/SHAKEN technology.”

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About The Author

Tom Huskerson Bio Born in Richmond Virginia Tom Huskerson is a military veteran who settled in California after his discharge. Tom attended Santa Barbara City College where he began his writing career as a campus reporter. He worked as an intern news reporter for the Santa Barbara News-Press writing feature stories before moving on to San Francisco. At San Francisco State University Tom studied broadcast communications and began to focus on the Internet. He completed his graduate thesis on Internet advertising. Tom was the first student to ever focus on the Internet as a graduate student at San Francisco State University. After graduation he went to work for Zona Research in California’s Silicone Valley. As a research associate Tom supported senior analyst writing on the latest developments in the Internet industry. During the dot com boom Tom worked for several web businesses as a market researcher and analyst. As a writer and researcher Tom has authored various technical works including a training program for Charles Schwab security. Other projects included professional presentations on workplace violence and hiring security contractors. Tom has also written both fiction and non-fiction works and blogging for a travel website. He has published two books of short stories and completed two novels. Tom is the owner of Scribe of Life Literature and EbonyCandle.com. Tom is not the chief editor for the OnTechStreet. com. A news and information blog that focuses on tech news for African-Americans. The blog is the result of his desire to inform the African American community of the dangers and benefits of the cyber age. In his blog Tom reports on information security, new and analysis, scams and hoaxes, legal happenings and various topics that arise from the age of information. Tom believes that technology is a necessary tool for black people and they should know what is happening. Tom writes believing that techno speak is for the professional and that valuable information can be communicated using plain language. As a result he has embraced the motto, Less Tech, More Knowledge.

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