May 26, 2022 – The Federal Communications Commission is taking action to decrease illicit, foreign robocalls following a request from Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and other state attorneys general.

In January, Moody sent a letter to the FCC urging the agency to implement new measures that will help prevent foreign-based illegal robocalls used to scam Americans.

According to a news release, “the FCC will now require companies that transmit phone calls originating in foreign countries to U.S. public telephone networks, called gateway providers, to comply with STIR/SHAKEN, a protocol intended to combat caller ID spoofing.”

By June 30, certain small carriers previously afforded an exception must also implement STIR/SHAKEN.

“The best way to stop scams associated with robocalls is to block the avenues some telemarketers use to send fraudulent automated messages. By working with the FCC, we are gaining ground in our fight to protect Floridians by ensuring carriers utilize the latest technology to try and keep foreign actors from bombarding phones with illegal robocall messages,” Moody said.

The FCC is also demanding gateway providers take additional measures to reduce robocalls, including:

• Responding to requests from law enforcement, state attorneys general or the FCC to trace back calls within 24 hours.
• Blocking calls when providers are made aware of an illegal or likely fraudulent caller by the FCC.
• Stopping calls that originate from numbers on a “do not originate” list-such as certain government phone numbers that are for incoming calls only.
• Requiring those foreign telephone companies that U.S. providers partner with to register with the FCC’s Robocall Mitigation Database before they are allowed to transmit calls that use U.S. phone numbers.

By Jack DeMarco, WFTV 9
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