December 25, 2024
STI-GA Renews ATIS and iconectiv for Robocall Mitigation Efforts
As illegal robocalls continue to plague Americans, the telecom industry is revving up its efforts to combat this problem for good. The Secure Telephone Identity Governance Authority, or STI-GA for short, recently announced it would renew its partnerships with ATIS and iconectiv to advance the SHAKEN framework.
Below, you’ll learn about STI-GA robocall mitigation efforts and other steps the industry is taking to fight against illegal robocalls.
What is STI-GA?
STI-GA is an industry-led body that supports the deployment of the STIR/SHAKEN protocol, which helps service providers authenticate caller IDs:
STIR (Secure Telephone Identity Revisited)
This part of the protocol validates calls as they travel through different networks. It ensures illegal robocallers don’t spoof a phone number.
SHAKEN (Signature-based Handling of Asserted information using toKENs)
This part of the protocol verifies a caller can legitimately access a phone number. Without it, an illegal robocaller can use any caller ID and pretend they are someone they’re not.
The STI-GA board includes representatives from various industry bodies and some of the world’s biggest tech companies, including Google, Comcast, and AT&T.
ATIS and iconectiv Sign New Agreements with STI-GA
On November 7, STI-GA announced it signed agreements with ATIS, a leading technology and solutions development organization, and iconectiv, a provider of network number portability solutions and data exchange services.
These renewed partnerships will continue to help STI-GA strengthen the SHAKEN framework, which has been around since 2018.
More specifically, ATIS will continue to help STI-GA manage and administer its call authentication framework. iconectiv will again serve as STI-GA’s Secure Telephone Identity Policy Administrator (STI-PA).
“We’re pleased to welcome both ATIS and iconectiv for new terms,” says AT&T’s Linda Vandeloop, one of STI-GA’s board members. “They have served the industry well, and the STI-GA board looks forward to continuing our efforts together.”
STI-GA has a long history with both of these organizations. It’s worked with ATIS to implement and manage the STIR/SHAKEN framework since 2018 and used iconectiv as its STI-PA since 2019.
Here’s what representatives from these organizations said about these new agreements:
“ATIS believes now, as we have from the start, that the call authentication framework is an important tool for mitigating illegal robocalling in the U.S. This framework has been highly effective.”
— ATIS President and CEO Susan Miller
“The communications industry is leading the charge to restore trust in communication. By collaborating with various stakeholders and managing the STI framework, iconectiv remains committed to empowering consumers to confidently answer their phones once again.”
— iconectiv Executive Vice President Peter Ford
STI-GA Robocall Mitigation Efforts
Robocall mitigation is one of the top concerns for the telecom industry, and rightly so. Americans receive around 33 million robocalls a day, according to the National Consumer Law Center. That’s more than 50 billion a year.
While some of these calls are from legitimate companies like yours, illegal robocalls can trick people into giving out their money or sensitive info. So, the industry is taking action by establishing various mitigation strategies, including:
STIR/SHAKEN Framework
STIR/SHAKEN is a two-part protocol that ensures the calls you receive are secure. It verifies phone numbers are accurate and not spoofed through digital certificates. The FCC required telecom providers to adopt this protocol by June 30, 2021.
Call Authentication
Call authentication verifies where a call came from, making spoofing difficult. This process is complex and requires telecom providers to work together. It usually includes validating phone numbers, vetting subscribers to a network, and assigning an attestation level to a call.
Attestation Ratings
Under the STIR/SHAKEN protocol, each voice call that travels through a network gets assigned to one of three attestation levels or ratings: A, B, or C.
Here’s more info about each of these levels:
- A attestation suggests a low level of risk. It means a telecom provider has verified the call and determined its legitimacy.
- B attestation indicates a moderate level of risk. A provider has authenticated the origination of the call but can’t verify whether the source is authorized to use the number.
- C attestation represents the highest level of risk. A provider has authenticated the origination of the call but can’t authenticate the source.
Caller ID Reputation offers and Attestation Tester tool that allows you to check your call’s attestation rating.
Call Blocking and Labeling Efforts
Many people block unknown calls, which can be a problem for legitimate businesses like yours when trying to reach customers. To prevent this issue, carriers have developed labels that help consumers determine the intent of a call. They can then decide whether to answer the call.
Some popular call labels include Spam Risk, Scam Likely, Scam Risk, and Telemarketer.
Ongoing Fight Against Robocalls
Illegal robocalls aren’t going anywhere soon. However, efforts like STIR/SHAKEN, attestation levels, and call labels are helping mitigate this issue and protect consumers.
Industry-led bodies like STI-GA are also committed to robocall mitigation. The organization’s renewed partnerships with ATIS and iconectiv are among the current efforts to validate calls and reduce spoofing.
