INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced that all mobile carriers and phone companies must adopt the STIR/SHAKEN
protocol by June 20, 2021.This regulatory requirement is aimed at combating robocalls, especially those that try to hide their phone numbers
by allowing carriers to authenticate caller IDs.According to the FCC, widespread adoption of the STIR/SHAKEN protocol will make illegal
spoofing less effective, help law enforcement agencies identify those behind these schemes and allow mobile carriers to identify spammers
before they call people's phones.The agency also estimates that fraudulent call schemes cost Americans approximately $10bn each year.Back in
2018, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai started putting pressure on carriers to adopt the STIR/SHAKEN protocol
In a press release, Pai commented on how he and the American people are tired of receiving robocalls, saying:"American consumers are sick
and tired of unwanted robocalls, this consumer among them
Caller ID authentication will be a significant step towards ending the scourge of spoofed robocalls
It's time for carriers to implement robust caller ID authentication."Last year Congress passed the TRACED Act which mandated the use of
However, the FCC's new regulatory requirement for mobile carriers and phone companies to support the protocol won't make robocalls disappear
overnight.Carriers can't simply enable the protocol on their own as they also have to test that their implementation works with other
Most modern smartphones already support this feature but some will need to be updated to do so.Also check out our complete list of the best
