FCC requires U.S. telecom company sender authentication by 2021

Caller identification or spam calls are becoming a major social problem abroad, even in the United States. As a countermeasure, the U.S. FCC adopted a new rule requiring all U.S. mobile operators to authenticate senders by June 30, 2021.

STIR/SHAKEN protocol is used for sender authentication. When sending, it includes the sender’s number as a digital signature so that spoofing is not performed or the receiver can check the validity. This is expected to be useful in reducing fraud or damage caused by spoofing and identifying the sender.

According to FCC estimates, eliminating unnecessary time and spam mail can yield more than $3 billion annually. New rules could also protect US consumers from $10 billion annual fraud.

According to the FCC, prior to the mandatory STIR/SHAKEN protocol, a Criminal Penalty Act (TRACED) was passed in the US Congress at the end of 2019. The bill requires the FCC to adopt caller-identifying technology, so the new rule follows. Related information can be found here .