Canada Combats Spoofed Calls; Works with FCC and Completes First Official Cross-Border Call Using SHAKEN/STIR 

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) announced it has taken further steps to combat caller ID spoofing and determine the origins of nuisance calls. The CRTC expects telecommunications service providers will implement STIR/SHAKEN by September 30, 2020.  This is the latest step in the CRTC’s broader efforts to combat nuisance and unsolicited calls.  In the past year, the CRTC has encouraged service providers to offer their customers call-filtering services that provide advanced call-management features.  Providers that do not offer these services must implement a system to block certain types of calls within their networks before the end of the year.  The CRTC is also working with the industry to develop a process to trace nuisance calls back to their points of origin. 

“Nuisance calls are a major irritant for many Canadians.  We are committed to addressing this issue and are working with the industry and our partners to better protect consumers.  The new STIR/SHAKEN framework will enable Canadians to know, before they answer the phone, whether a call is legitimate or whether it should be treated with suspicion.” 

-Ian Scott, Chairperson and CEO, CRTC 

The FCC and the CRTC released joint statements touting that Ajit Pai, Chairman of the FCC and Ian Scott, Chairperson and CEO of the CRTC completed the first official cross-border call using a new system aimed at combating illegal caller ID spoofing.  The call took place using the caller ID authentication framework known as SHAKEN/STIR.  Pai and Scott issued the following joint statement about the historic call: 

“Spoofed, scam robocalls are an international problem.  Both Americans and Canadians are being bombarded by these calls, which are too often used to defraud consumers and target some of our most vulnerable communities.  That’s why the FCC and CRTC are committed to combating robocalls by aggressively attacking the use of caller ID spoofing. 

Towards that end, this afternoon, we conducted the first official cross-border call using SHAKEN/STIR.  This new framework enables service providers to authenticate and verify the caller ID information of voice calls made using Internet Protocol.  It’s essentially a digital fingerprint for telephone calls.  When a call between participating providers is transmitted without that digital fingerprint, the receiving phone company will know that the caller ID information is spoofed and can act to protect its customer from scams. 

This call between the chairs of the FCC and CRTC demonstrates our joint commitment to the fight against spoofed calls and our focus on protecting American and Canadian consumers. Spoofing is a challenge that requires broad cooperation and engagement, both domestically and internationally, from many partners including the telecommunications industry.  The timely implementation of SHAKEN/STIR will enhance the security of American and Canadian consumers and give them the peace of mind they demand and deserve when the phone rings.  

We look forward to continuing to collaborate as we work to combat the scourge of unwanted robocalls.” 

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The Regulatory Mix Today:  Canada Combats Spoofed Calls; Works with FCC and Completes First Official Cross-Border Call Using SHAKEN/STIR, FCC Precision Agriculture Working Group , New York Governor Signs Bill to Stop Live Telemarketing Calls  

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FCC Precision Agriculture Working Group 

The FCC announced  the chairs and vice chairs to lead the four working groups for the Task Force for Reviewing the Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture in the United States: (1) the Mapping and Analyzing Connectivity on Agricultural Lands working group, (2) the Examining Current and Future Connectivity Demand for Precision Agriculture working group, (3) the Encouraging Adoption of Precision Agriculture and Availability of High-Quality Jobs on Connected Farms working group, and (4) the Accelerating Broadband Deployment on Unserved Agricultural Lands working group.   The Task Force is a federal advisory committee created to explore ways to enhance the productivity and efficiency of the nation’s farms and ranches through broadband-based technologies.  

New York Governor Signs Bill to Stop Live Telemarketing Calls  

The Governor of New York announced the signing of legislation enacting the Nuisance Call Act, which closes a loophole in the Do Not Call Registry and requires live telemarketers to give consumers the option to be added to the seller's do-not-call list. It also requires telemarketers to have a consumer's written consent before sharing or selling their contact information.  The legislation takes effect March 1, 2020.   

"This loophole is a license to annoy New Yorkers that telemarketers have taken advantage of for far too long," Governor Cuomo said.  "With these new protections, we can help ensure New Yorkers receive fewer unwanted calls and their privacy is protected once and for all." 

In 2001, the Do Not Call Law took effect, which allowed New York consumers to opt out of receiving pre-recorded or "robocalls."  However, since the establishment of the national Do Not Call Registry, consumers have seen an increase in live telemarketing calls, requiring this change in the state law.

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The Regulatory Mix, Inteserra’s blog of telecom related regulatory activities, is a snapshot of PUC, FCC, legislative, and occasionally court issues that our regulatory monitoring team uncovers each day. Depending on their significance, some items may be the subject of an Inteserra Briefing.