(WWJ) -- Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is calling for the Federal Communications Commission to fight back against “the scourge of illegal robocalls” by moving up the deadline for smaller telephone companies to implement caller ID technology.
Nessel on Wednesday joined a bipartisan coalition of 51 attorneys general in submitting comments to the FCC.
"This caller ID technology will be an essential and useful tool in helping consumers feel confident about who is on the other end of the line when they answer a call,” Nessel said in a press release. “I am urging the FCC to accelerate the deadline to implement this technology and help us minimize these illegal robocalls.”
The TRACED Act (Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence) became law in 2018, requiring phone companies to implement STIR/SHAKEN technology on their networks, That caller ID technology aims to ensure phone 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.
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But Nessel and other attorneys general are saying some of the 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.
Nessel’s office says 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 are asking the FCC to require these companies to implement the STIR/SHAKEN technology as soon as possible and no later than June 30, 2022.
Nessel also joined another bipartisan coalition earlier this year to help combat illegal robocalls through the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.