Will STIR/SHAKEN Play a Role in the FCC’s War on Robotexts?

FCC fighting Robotexts

Last month, the FCC identified a new front in the ongoing war against unwanted robocalls. This time, the commission set its eyes on the rise of robotexts.

The Commission Document cited an alarming increase in consumer complaints about unwanted text messages both for 2020 (i.e. 14 000, representing an almost 146% increase from 2019) and 2021 (9 800 complaints until the release date of the document.

The increase in unwanted robotext activity seems to be backed by other data sources too:

According to RoboKiller’s Mid-Year Phone Scam Report, consumers can expect to receive a 55% increase in spam text messages from 2020’s 55 billion. This could result in $101 million in projected financial losses—an 18% increase from 2020.

This determined Acting Chairwoman Jessica ­­Rosenworcel to circulate to her colleagues a proposed rulemaking “that would require mobile wireless providers to block illegal text messaging….”

We’ve seen a rise in scammers trying to take advantage of our trust of text messages by sending bogus robotexts that try to trick consumers to share sensitive information or click on malicious links. It’s time we take steps to confront this latest wave of fraud and identify how mobile carriers can block these automated messages before they have the opportunity to cause any harm. – Acting Chairwoman Rosenworcel

According to the News Release, the rulemaking would explore steps to protect the consumer from illegal robotexts including network-level blocking and applying caller authentication standards to text messages.

STIR/SHAKEN might play a key role

This verbiage makes us think about one thing and one thing only: STIR/SHAKEN is supposed to do just that, but for unwanted voice calls. This is an authentication mechanism installed at the carrier level to protect consumers against nefarious robocalls.

Although STIR/SHAKEN has been enforced nationwide since June 2021, up until this moment it has only solved half of the problem (i.e. the number authentication). At the moment, calls are only being signed with three different levels of attestation. However, for now, the level of attestation serves just as another data point attached to the call. The blocking mechanism and the display of the various levels of attestation are still being discussed.

At the moment, no calls are being blocked because of STIR/SHAKEN, except the traffic originating from carriers that failed to submit registrations with the FCC’s Robocall Mitigation Database.

Knowing that the STIR/SHAKEN discussion is far from being over, we are really curious to see what mechanisms will be set in place to fight the recent robotext epidemic. We have a hunch that the STIR/SHAKEN mechanism will play a great role in this.

(If you want to learn more about the status of STIR/SHAKEN and how it can impact the Contact Center industry, click here and watch our latest on-demand webinar: Call Labeling & Blocking in the Age of STIR/SHAKEN.)

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Last month, the FCC identified a new front in the ongoing war against unwanted robocalls. This time, the commission set its eyes on the rise of robotexts, and we have a hunch that the STIR/SHAKEN mechanism will play a great role in this.
Anda Alexandrescu

Anda Alexandrescu

The greatest writer of them all. Insert more bio info here

Insights

Dropped Calls Decoded: Causes and Solutions for Contact Centers

A dropped call is a term used predominantly in the telecommunications industry to describe a situation where an ongoing telephone conversation is unintentionally disconnected due to technical or other reasons. This disconnection isn’t initiated by any of the participants in the call, making it an unexpected and often frustrating occurrence.

Read More »
contact center performance featured img
Insights

Contact Center Performance: Mastering the Art of Transformation

Hey there, fellow contact center champions! Ready to dive deep into the heart of transforming your contact center’s performance? Buckle up, because we’re about to embark on a journey that will take your operations from average to exceptional. In this article, we’ll explore actionable strategies that will help you revolutionize your contact center’s performance and create experiences that leave customers raving.

Read More »
Insights

Unveiling the Cost Savings of VOIP in 2023: A Comprehensive Analysis

The call center sector, constantly under pressure to enhance customer satisfaction and operational efficiency, finds a revolutionary ally in voicemail detection. This tool, increasingly integral to modern call centers, not only optimizes outreach but also crafts a streamlined experience for both agents and clients.

Read More »

Unlock Up to 18% Savings with NobelBiz Voice Carrier!

Free 30-day Proof of Concept

Unlock Your FREE Month of licensing and take your contact center to the next level.

Fill in this form and save big on your tech stack with NobelBiz OMNI+ cloud contact center software!

"*" indicates required fields

Hidden

Expert Form Tip: Sign Up with Google ReCAPTCHA

To use the CAPTCHA field on this form to protect your website from spam and bot abuse you will need to sign up with Google ReCAPTCHA. For more information on this, check out the Docs.

Important: Delete this tip before you publish the form.

Name*
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
NEW WEBINAR ON-DEMAND:

From Leads to Profits: Mastering Outbound Lead Generation and Sales