Fly-through-night telecoms appear to be giving the FCC the finger over its "robocall mitigation" mandate

It's been a few years because the FCC began requiring telecom providers to put in force the STIR/SHAKEN robocall mitigation framework. Most principal companies have either fully or partially applied the protocol or have constructed an acceptable alternative and submitted that plan to the FCC. However, some providers seem to be thumbing their noses at the regulator with the aid of sending in nonsensical or clean mitigation plans.

On Tuesday, the FCC referred 20 cell phone vendors to its Enforcement Bureau for submitting "poor" robocall mitigation plans. More than 3 years in the past, the FCC mandated that telecom companies implement STIR/SHAKEN or submit an alternative robocall mitigation approach lest they find themselves blocked inside the US. Most of them submitted plans with the aid of September or October of 2021 or earlier.

After reviewing the submissions, the FCC determined several lacking the records required in its order. The Commission then despatched boilerplate warnings to the deficient carriers in January and February 2022 to resubmit their mitigation plans.

"The FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau contacted the Company on February 18, 2022, to inform it that its robocall mitigation application attachment contained with its certification can also were uploaded in mistakes because it did not satisfy the Commission's regulations requiring it to describe its robocall mitigation efforts."

Some of the 20 providers contacted submitted a blank page as their plan. Many others again ridiculous entries as if to mock the FCC. For instance, National Cloud Communications connected "a 'Windows Printer Test Page' that turned into unrelated to robocall mitigation."

Route 66 Broadband just again an in any other case blank web page signed through its CEO saying, "I, Timothy P Terral, CEO of Route 66 Broadband, I [sic] claim (or certify, verify, or kingdom) below penalty of perjury under the legal guidelines of the United States of America that the foregoing is true and accurate. Executed on nine/28/2021."

Other examples of loopy mitigation plans encompass an unrelated letter from Harvard Business Services, a 'Taxpayer Profile' on a Pakistani government internet site, the 2017 public word of the FCC's "internet neutrality" repeal, a promotional report titled "Viettel Solutions: Making Smart Cities Vision a Reality," a .Png picture of the business enterprise's emblem, and another .Png of "an indiscernible object."

Yesterday, the FCC's Enforcement Bureau issued similarly warnings to the organizations, informing them they have 14 days (October 30 closing date) to "show cause" why the FCC should no longer put off them from the robocall mitigation database. Other vendors might be forced to dam site visitors from the offending telecoms if eliminated from the list.

"Removal from the database would require all intermediate carriers and terminating voice provider providers to quit carrying the businesses' site visitors, those businesses' clients might be blocked, and no traffic originated by using those groups might attain the known as birthday party," said the Commission.

It is doubtful why it took the FCC this long to enact enforcement measures. It has been privy to the delinquent companies because as a minimum two years in the past, and initial warnings went out 20 months in the past. Of direction, we're managing a government paperwork, so perhaps it shouldn't be all that unexpected.

Image credit: Victor Bonomi