T-Mobile and AT&T Wednesday began rollout of cross-network call authentication based on robocall blocking standards. The technology lets consumers know an incoming call is really coming from the number listed on the caller ID display – not a spoofed robocall or scammer.
At a workshop on the technology last month, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai called on carriers to cooperate with each other and implement the robocall blocking technology by year-end.
AT&T said it intends to block robocalls by default for free in the coming months — without customers needing to opt-in first.
Yesterday, Pai said he’s pleased with the progress the technical teams at AT&T, T-Mobile and Comcast have made. “Recent announcements indicate that all of the largest voice service providers can meet our [year-end] deadline—and we will be monitoring them closely to ensure that they do so.”
That’s because Pai has made it clear the agency is prepared to enforce a carrier mandate in 2020 if providers don’t meet the deadline. Both houses of Congress recently passed bills to give the FCC more authority to stop illegal robocalls — including major penalties for carriers. The measures are before a congressional conference committee to resolve differences.
August 15, 2019
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