A Dangerous Window for Criminals
USTelecom’s filing draws attention to a paradoxical risk: the proposed fix may actually legitimize fraudulent calls by making them appear authenticated.
“An authentication regime that affords criminal fraudsters the opportunity to deliver authenticated fraudulent calls creates a new way to enhance trust in a fraud scheme,” the filing said. “Consumers would be less safe, not more.”
The group supports STIR/SHAKEN, a widely adopted digital protocol for caller ID verification, but insists that full effectiveness depends on modern IP-based networks. Older networks, they argue, are incompatible, and forcing upgrades amounts to throwing good money after bad—especially since some legacy systems are no longer supported by manufacturers.
TRACED Act: Interpreting the Law’s Limits
The 2019 TRACED Act requires telecom providers to implement caller ID authentication, but only where it’s deemed “reasonably available.” USTelecom asserts that mass retrofitting of analog switches isn’t just impractical and costly—it fails the reasonable availability test.
The organization emphasizes that the FCC’s three proposed standards—outlined in an April notice of proposed rulemaking—fall short of meeting the law’s requirements and risk derailing progress toward a more secure telecommunications future.
