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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is expected to vote at its next open meeting on a proposal requiring voice service providers to implement STIR/SHAKEN – a caller identification framework meant to target illegal robocalls – by June 30, 2021. The FCC issued a declaratory ruling to allow call blocking in June 2019 and encouraged providers to adopt STIR/SHAKEN.

NAFCU has repeatedly shared concerns about credit unions' legitimate calls being erroneously blocked. While some positive changes were made before final passage of the 2019 ruling, NAFCU recommended that the commission direct service providers not to block unsigned calls until the STIR/ SHAKEN framework has been fully implemented. In August, 51 attorneys general and 12 of the largest telephone companies in the U.S. signed a pledge to implement the new framework at no cost to consumers.

In addition to the FCC's ruling, the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act was signed into law late last year. The legislation expands the FCC's enforcement authority over violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

Under the proposed rule from FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, the implementation deadline is consistent with the TRACED Act, which directed the FCC to require voice service providers to implement STIR/SHAKEN within 18 months from when the law was enacted.

Pai is also proposing a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPR) that recommends providing rural and small providers with a one-year extension to implement the framework, which is also a TRACED Act provision. The FNPR also seeks public feedback on how to implement other provisions of the TRACED Act, including related to caller ID authentication.

The FCC will meet March 31 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Eastern; it will be available via live webcast.

NAFCU last week joined with a coalition of other organizations for a meeting at the FCC to discuss effects from the FCC's 2019 ruling. The association asked the FCC to continue to gather feedback from the industry and to work with service providers to provide transparent mechanisms that ensure credit unions are able to correct mislabeled or erroneously blocked calls.

NAFCU has actively worked with the FCC on efforts to modernize the TCPA for more than three years, and will continue its advocacy to ensure credit unions can contact their members regarding important, time-sensitive information, without fear of frivolous litigation.