Robocalls, STIR/SHAKEN, June 30, 2021

By Gary Audin

Robocalls are a scourge sending billions of calls to those who do not want to receive them. The FCC has directed providers to implement techniques that will help to block these unwanted robocalls.

Did you know that every service provider who serves end users must certify they have implemented either a Robocall Mitigation Program or STIR/SHAKEN in their network? Certification must be submitted to the new FCC database by June 30, 2021. Will you be ready?

Service providers must block all calls from any service provider that is not in the FCC database. This must become effective 90 days after the deadline for robocall mitigation program certifications. This affects all the main carriers, VoIP resellers, UCaaS providers, some MSPs, and all OTT providers. There will be penalties for non-compliance. Any provider from outside of the US that wants their calls to be verified when calling clients in USA/Canada, need to work with a North American Partner in order to satisfy these requirements. All the Enterprises the providers support will want their calls marked as ‘verified’.

If you support more than 100,000 lines you must implement STIR/SHAKEN for SIP connections or Robocall Mitigation for TDM lines. If you support fewer than 100,000 lines, you have the option to select STIR/SHAKEN for SIP or Robocall Mitigation for TDM which is the most common path forward for small providers by Implementing Robocall Mitigation to meet the June 30 deadline.

These solutions are new to most providers. In a recent survey, 51% of the providers have not started implementation, only 22% have started, a few (5%) have finished while 22% didn’t know what to do. This means that 73% need to learn more about the technologies, responsibilities, and legal issues for dealing with robocalls. The June 30, 2021 date for compliance is approaching fast.

The SIP School has added STIR/SHAKEN training to its SSCA® SIP certification program in order to get people educated on the illegal Robocalling problem as well as the industry efforts to combat the problem. The STIR/SHAKEN training has been made an integral part of the SSCA® SIP certification program as STIR/SHAKEN depends on a SIP based network to be effective. More information can be found by visiting www.thesipschool.com for free demos and a full course outline.

According to Graham Francis at The SIP School, “There are a lot of resources for STIR/SHAKEN on the web but we wanted to bring it all together in one place for people to not only understand how it all works but what they need to focus on to get their calls verified.  Integrating this training into the SSCA® SIP program means students will also get to understand all the technologies behind STIR/SHAKEN thus making them even more proficient in this initiative.”

Jim Dalton, CEO at TransNexus, believes that “The SIP School is a fantastic training resource for learning about SHAKEN.  It provides practical information for operators in an easy-to-follow format.”

“Rebuilding trust in the public network is a key objective of the STIR/SHAKEN framework” said Alan Percy, CMO at TelcoBridges. “The new SIP School training module on STIR/SHAKEN is a resource that network designers and administrators will find invaluable.”

Gary Audin leads content development and delivery, press and marketing at The SIP School.

About The SIP School
The SIP School is the global leader in SIP and VoIP education with 29,000+ registered students and 10,500+ experts around the world who are qualified as an SSCA®.