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NAFCU Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Ann Kossachev joined with other trade associations Monday to respond to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) order allowing terminating telephone service providers (TSPs) to continue using current call blocking notifications and inviting comment on how the FCC should proceed.

Of note, the FCC previously issued an order requiring terminating TSPs to adopt two new, more informative call blocking notifications by January 1, 2022.

The current call blocking notification, SIP code 603, does not provide commercial callers an explanation as to why a call was blocked, making it difficult for callers to understand why legitimate calls were accidentally blocked. The new call blocking notifications, SIPS codes 607 and 608, would help provide blocked callers context and better position them to work with terminating TSPs to correct accidental call blocking and ensure important credit union messages are timely and effectively reaching members.

“To facilitate the timely transition to SIP Codes 607 and 608 and ensure compliance with the TRACED Act, the Commission should request that the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) submit a projected time for finalization of operational standards for these codes and request that ATIS and Voice Service Providers provide regular status reports on the finalization and implementation of the codes,” wrote the group. “In addition, the Commission should set a firm deadline for mandatory use of SIP Codes 607 and 608 to provide immediate notification of blocking.”

Read the letter here. The association will continue its advocacy to ensure credit unions can contact their members regarding important, time-sensitive information, without fear of frivolous litigation.