STIR/SHAKEN & Robocall Mitigation Plan for Service Providers ⁠

The world hates robocalls. STIR/SHAKEN is crucial to overcoming one of the difficulties associated with robocalls. With the updated guidelines regarding STIR/SHAKEN and robocall prevention, compliance is not a problem for tomorrow. If you are a telecom service provider, your robocall mitigation plan should be a top priority.

Voice service providers must outline how they are determining not only a call’s status but also which techniques they’re using to validate it. By doing their homework on who they’re letting into their network, voice service providers make it so that their attestations can be relied on by others. Ultimately, if all providers do their due diligence and work as a collective, it helps prevent end users from unwanted robocalls.

Time is running out. Learn the essentials of these new laws, what you as a telecommunication provider need to know, and how to become and stay compliant. 

• June 30, 2023. Non-facilities-based small voice service providers must implement the STIR/SHAKEN caller ID authentication framework in their Internet Protocol networks no later than June 30, 2022.
• August 21, 2023. All providers must take reasonable measures to reduce illegal robocall traffic, and second, block calls coming from any service provider that aren’t verified in the Robocall Mitigation Plan (RMD).
• December 31, 2023. The first non-gateway intermediate provider in the call path must authenticate unauthenticated SIP calls it receives directly from an originating provider.

Given the time constraints, the easiest way is to leverage a cloud communication platform that is already STIR/SHAKEN compliant.

So, is it enough just to be STIR/SHAKEN compliant? No, voice providers are being asked to create and submit an RMP to help prevent unwanted calls, including illegal and spoofed robocalls — the FCC’s top consumer complaint. In fact, unwanted calls account for around 60% of all complaints received.

While end consumers can take steps like registering for the “Do Not Call” list or downloading the RoboKiller app, they only help to an extent. It’s within your power as their voice provider or carrier to significantly reduce the number of these calls that start on your network.

Voice service providers must either upgrade their networks to implement STIR/SHAKEN or keep written proof that they are part of a working group, an industry-standards group, or consortium who is working on a non-IP caller ID authentication solution.

Your RMP may involve several techniques like:

• Blocklists. A list of phone numbers known to make spam calls. This, of course, does not account for calls from unidentifiable spam numbers, but it is a good start toward preventing calls from these numbers from entering your network.
• Caller ID Analysis. Based on their calling past and patterns, all callers can be given a reputation like good, bad, or neutral. Helpful knowledge to stop both incoming and outgoing calls as desired.
• Caller ID Lookup. Offers a method to gain additional public information including where the call is originating from.
• Call Screening. Most networks and cell phones have this feature, which informed users who is calling and why before they answer the phone.
• Dynamic Traffic Analysis: Some software platforms identify traffic patterns, analyzing information on calls and callers, to help weed out potentially robocalls.

In the end, it will take a combination of all of the above methods to help address the problem in an adequate manner. Likewise, this is not something that voice providers can do once and forget about. It will take a long-term, proactive approach to help put a stop to these types of nuisance calls, both now and in the future.

As a service provider, you need to file your own RMD form (here are the filing instructions). In the first section, fill out your contact information. In the bottom Certification section, you can select Option 1: Complete STIR/SHAKEN Implementation or the other options that apply to you, then submit.

If you receive a letter from the FCC saying you should also be listed in the STI-PA as an authorized provider, you can respond to say that you use Alianza’s platform and that Alianza, Inc. is listed as an authorized provider on the STI-PA list.

Alianza supports all regulatory requirements required to deliver phone service in the US and Canada. Our customers depend on us to keep up with regulatory updates and changes.

Alianza is compliant with STIR/SHAKEN regulations in both the US (TRACED Act) and Canada (CRTC). As part of STIR/SHAKEN implementation, Alianza is has filed a certification on the FCC’s Robocall Mitigation Database, which means our services are compliant.

As a telecommunications service provider, you should not need to file a certification unless you have other telecom operations outside of Alianza. However, you may want to file anyway so your customers see your name in the database and know you are compliant.

And while verifying the legitimacy of robocalls may be getting easier, call blocking is still necessary. Alianza has partnered with Nomorobo to provide a free call blocking solution that prevents >95% of unwanted calls.

Learn more about our STIR/SHAKEN compliant cloud communication platform.