Learn all about the new FCC Act using the STIR/SHAKEN framework that will help put an end to robocalls. 

Robocalls are a persistent nuisance of the modern world, mostly taking the form of illegal scams fleecing people out of their time and money. Various laws and tools such as Caller ID have attempted to curtail the spam infesting phone lines and have even met with some success in doing so. Unfortunately, the people behind robocallers are clever and are always working out ways to get you to pick up. One of the most common methods is the use of spoofing, which STIR/SHAKEN aims to end. 

Spoofing is the act of disguising a communication from an unknown source as being from a known, trusted source. When taken in the context of phones and robocalls, this often means that an incoming call may appear to be from a familiar business or within the local area code, adding a veneer of legitimacy to the call and making it difficult to dismiss out-of-hand. 

STIR/SHAKEN regulations seeks to put an end to spoofing. 

Under the new regulations, carriers will have to metaphorically “sign off” on calls originating from their network, giving a confirmation that the number is not changed or disguised before handing it off to the next carrier in the chain, who must also verify that the number is legitimate. The end result of this is that the number you see on your phone will be the real number you’re receiving a call from, with no disguises. Illegitimate and spam calls are then easier to spot and separate from legitimate ones because the call’s number cannot pretend to be something it’s not. 

If you are a customer of Vonage through Agenda, there is nothing you need to do to receive the benefits of STIR/SHAKEN, as it is already being implemented. You can expect to see these added protections by no later than November. If you are already a customer and would like more information on these upcoming benefits, you can reach out to us at any time. 

If you’re wanting to become a new customer, contact us at (540) 266-3304 or [email protected] and we’ll be happy to help.