SC Attorney General calls for faster implementation of anti-robocall technology

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCSC) - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson urged the Federal Communications Commission to fight back against illegal robocalls now.

On Monday, Wilson demanded the FCC move up the deadline for smaller telephone companies to implement caller ID technology. Wilson was joined by a bipartisan coalition of 51 attorneys general, led by Attorney General Josh Stein from North Carolina, Attorney General Josh Shapiro from Pennsylvania, and Attorney General Leslie Rutledge from Arkansas.

“This technology is not a silver bullet that will get rid of all illegal robocalls but it will reduce them and allow you to feel more comfortable knowing who’s calling you,” Wilson said. “But right now, smaller companies don’t have to implement it until June 30, 2023, even if they do a high volume of illegal robocalls. That’s a loophole we need to close as quickly as possible.”

Wilson’s office says that under the TRACED Act 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. The TRACED Act became law in 2019, but Wilson says large companies weren’t required to implement the technology until June 2021. Wilson’s office say smaller phone companies were given an extension until June 2023.

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, the Attorney General said. These calls spam Americans and lead to financial or personal data loss.

Wilson says that 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.