The American Bankers Association yesterday joined other industry trade groups and a consumer rights organization in urging the Federal Communications Commission to require voice service providers to take specific actions to shore up the existing call authentication framework – commonly known as the ‘STIR/SHAKEN’ framework – to better protect consumers against fraud. The comment responds to the FCC’s request for feedback on the efficacy of the STIR/SHAKEN framework.
In a joint letter, the groups note that Congress required the establishment of STIR/SHAKEN to reduce the number of illegal calls consumers receive, but the volume of illegal automated calls remains high, with recent data showing a resurgence in 2025 after a brief decline in 2024. The letter urges the FCC to take several steps to improve the efficacy of STIR/SHAKEN, including:
- Require voice service providers utilizing legacy calling technology to transition to internet protocol (IP) networks within a certain date. STIR/SHAKEN only works over IP networks, and bad actors exploit the “gap” in caller ID authentication schemes.
- Bar an individual who led a voice service provider that facilitated illegal calls from establishing a new entity in order to continue to facilitate illegal calls.
- Strengthen the “Know Your Customer” standards that voice service providers must follow before they accept a caller as a customer and allow the customer to originate calls.
- Eliminate the remaining exemptions under STIR/SHAKEN that allow providers to “sign” calls without fully complying with STIR/SHAKEN’s requirements.
