OBA, state bankers associations, support FCC proposal to help stop illegal calls

Fifty-two state bankers associations, including the OBA, expressed strong support for the Federal Communications Commission’s proposals to ensure that all voice service providers in the path of a call take meaningful responsibility for keeping illegal calls off the U.S. calling network, in a letter sent to the FCC last week.

In the letter, the associations expressed support for the FCC’s proposal to require originating providers to “know their customer” – i.e., to collect specific information about a prospective customer – before that customer may originate calls on the provider’s network.

The letter also expressed support for the FCC’s proposal to specify the criteria that originating providers must satisfy before providing an “attestation” to a call under the “STIR/SHAKEN” call authentication framework. When an originating provider improperly provides an “A-level” attestation to a call – the highest form of attestation available – it may lead a terminating provider to apply a green “checkmark” or other signal indicating (falsely) the number is not illegally spoofed.

The letter adds the OBA and other state associations’ voices to the growing number of banking and other financial trade associations expressing support for stronger FCC rules to combat illegal calls that impersonate banks and other legitimate businesses.