The Federal Communications Commission today voted 3-0 to issue an American Bankers Association-backed proposal that would impose stronger “know your upstream provider” requirements on voice service providers that allow calls to pass through their network.
The proposal would require all voice service providers in the call’s pathway to collect certain information about the caller from the “upstream” provider — that is, the provider that originated the call — to better ensure each provider is transmitting only lawful calls.
Significantly, the proposal also seeks to strengthen the requirements for “A-level” or “B-level” attestations. Under the “STIR-SHAKEN” call authentication framework, calls are “signed” at origination with different levels of “attestation.” A call that receives an “A-level” attestation – the highest form of attestation – means the originating provider knows the caller and knows the caller has the legal right to the number that will be displayed in the recipient’s caller ID. If a call receives A-level attestation, it is eligible for vendors’ call branding designed to signal that the call is from a legitimate source, such as a green “checkmark.”
In a prior comment, ABA provided an analysis, cited by the FCC in its proposal, that found that more than half of a sample of 12,900 illegally spoofed calls received an A-level or B-level attestation. ABA called on the FCC to require originating providers to verify that the caller has the legal right to use the number that will be displayed in the recipient’s caller ID display when the caller seeks to place an A-level attested call.
In a statement, ABA President and CEO Rob Nichols applauded the FCC vote. “Bank impersonation scams and other illegally spoofed calls continue to reach consumers because of gaps that exist not only at call origination, but also throughout the call pathway,” he said. “Requiring diligence from every provider in the call path helps stop fraud before it starts.”
The proposal will be published in the Federal Register, which will begin a 30-day initial comment period.
