Attorney General Phil Weiser calls for faster implementation of anti-robocall technology

Coalition of 51 attorneys general urge FCC to accelerate deadline for STIR/SHAKEN adoption

Aug. 9, 2021 (DENVER)—Attorney General Phil Weiser today joined the attorneys general of all 50 states and the District of Columbia in urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to fight against the scourge of illegal robocalls by moving up the deadline for smaller telephone companies to implement caller ID technology.

Coloradans reported receiving nearly 44,000 robocalls in the first half of 2021, according to the FTC, and fraudulent and unwanted telephone calls remain one of the top reports submitted each year to StopFraudColorado.gov, the attorney general’s office consumer complaint website.

“Robocalls continue to plague Coloradans, and my office is committed to protecting consumers from these harmful, annoying tactics,” Weiser said. “By requiring phone companies to step up their efforts to block these calls, we can reduce the continual disruption they cause to our daily lives.”

Under the TRACED Act, which became law in 2019 and which Weiser led a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general in supporting, phone companies are required to implement STIR/SHAKEN technology on their networks. This caller ID authentication technology helps ensure that telephone calls are originating from verified numbers, not spoofed sources. Large companies were required to implement the technology by June 2021, and smaller phone companies were given an extension until June 2023.

However, some of the same smaller phone companies that are benefitting from this extension are also responsible for originating or facilitating high volumes of illegal robocalls that spam Americans and lead to financial or personal data loss. And without the STIR/SHAKEN technology in place, these smaller companies are failing to take a necessary step to minimize the continued onslaught of illegally spoofed robocalls that harm residents.

The coalition of attorneys general is asking the FCC to require these companies to implement the STIR/SHAKEN technology as soon as possible and no later than June 30, 2022.

The coalition is led by Attorney General Josh Stein of North Carolina, Attorney General Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, and Attorney General Leslie Rutledge of Arkansas.

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