Telephone companies, AGs reach deal to combat robocalls

Fifty-one attorneys general and 12 of the largest telephone companies in the U.S. signed a pledge to combat illegal robocalls by implementing call-blocking technology at no cost to consumers and a new caller identification framework known as SHAKEN/STIR. The framework is meant to target the spoofing of telephone numbers.

Mobile carriers, including AT&T, Comcast, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon, are among the companies to sign the pledge. While there is no deadline to implement the robocall protections, there are eight principles outlined in the agreement.

In June, the FCC proposed a rulemaking to require phone companies to adopt the framework. NAFCU, along with several other trade organizations, recommended that the agency provide a safe harbor to those that implement a network-wide blocking of calls that fail caller authentication under the framework. The association has shared concerns about erroneously blocking credit unions’ calls to members.

 

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