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Carriers will have until June of 2021 to implement strict new protocols protecting consumers from robocalls and scammers, the Federal Communications Commission announced.
The new rules announced Tuesday will require carriers to adopt STIR/SHAKEN protocols to protect consumers from robocalls and other scam or fraudulent callers. According to the FCC, the cost to U.S. consumers from fraudulent callers amounts to roughly $10 billion annually.
The FCC's move comes on the heels of the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act that was signed into law by President Trump. Among other things, it increased the maximum robocall fine to $10,000.
“Widespread implementation of STIR/SHAKEN will reduce the effectiveness of illegal spoofing, allow law enforcement to identify bad actors more easily, and help phone companies identify — and even block — calls with illegal spoofed caller ID information before those calls reach their subscribers,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai explained in a statement. “Most importantly, it will give consumers more peace of mind when they answer the phone.”
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The coronavirus pandemic has, unfortunately, brought an increase in the number of scams and fraudulent information.
"The coronavirus pandemic already has robbed too many of us of our health while the rest of us are confined to our homes to do our part to prevent the further spread of this virus. So it is good news that today the Federal Communications Commission adopts rules to reduce robocalls through call authentication. I only wish we had done so sooner," said FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel in a statement.
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