On February 6, 2025, the FCC released its Eighth Report and Order (Order) in Docket 17-79 in its latest attempt to stop the never-ending scourge of illegal robocalls. According to the Commission, one industry expert estimates “that the average U.S. consumer receives 13 spam or fraud calls per month. These illegal calls are not just annoying and disruptive; they also cause consumers to lose significant amounts of money. The Federal Trade Commission reports a median loss of $1,480 for fraud by phone call, or $850 million total each year.”
In the Order, the agency takes the following actions:
Expands the range of voice service providers that must block calls based on a reasonable do-not-originate (DNO) list from only gateway providers to all voice service providers in a call path. A do-not-originate list may include unused, unallocated, or invalid numbers, as well as numbers for which a subscriber has requested blocking. This requirement will be effective 90 days after publication of a notice of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval in the Federal Register.
The Commission does not mandate the use of a specific list but allows providers to use any DNO list as long as the list is reasonable. Similarly, the scope of numbers that may be included on a reasonable DNO list does not change. As noted above, such a list may include only invalid, unallocated, and unused numbers, as well as numbers for which the subscriber has requested blocking.
Providers must constantly update DNO lists, especially if they include unused numbers that could go into use at any time.
Next, the FCC modifies the existing requirement for voice service providers to immediately notify callers when providers block calls based on reasonable analytics by requiring the use of Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) code 603+ and eliminating the use of SIP codes 603, 607, and 608 for this purpose. This will ensure that callers learn when and why their calls are blocked based on reasonable analytics, which in turn will allow these callers to seek redress when blocking errors occur.
This requirement only applies when providers block calls based on analytics. Providers are not required to provide immediate notification when blocking based on a DNO list.
All providers must perform all necessary software upgrades to ensure the codes required for such notification are appropriately mapped. Providers must ensure that calls that transit over Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) and IP networks return an appropriate code when calls are blocked based on an analytics program.
The Commission clarifies that all providers in the call path must transmit the appropriate code to the origination point of the call, including ensuring that SIP code 603+ maps appropriately to ISDN User Part (ISUP) code 21. Similarly, any IP provider that receives SIP code 603+ must ensure it transmits the full header, including all mandatory text fields established in the standard.
Providers are required to implement SIP code 603+ no later than 12 months from publication of this Order in the Federal Register. A one-year implementation period appropriately balances the need for callers to receive greater transparency and the need for interoperability testing and other finalizing work by providers.
Providers are directed to cease using SIP codes 603, 607, and 608 when calls are blocked using analytics once they have implemented 603+ and in no instance later than 12 months from publication of this Order in the Federal Register.
The agency believes that the cost to providers to implement these changes will be modest, with great benefits. The DNO list blocking requirement of this Order merely extends the existing requirement of previous orders. Moreover, requiring providers to use SIP code 603+ for immediate notification to callers of analytics-based blocking is less technically complex than other potential solutions, and thus likely minimizes the costs of implementation for providers. Thus, given that unwanted and illegal calls reduce public welfare by billions of dollars annually, even a small percentage reduction in those will generate benefits that exceed the costs of the new rules.
PR Archives: Latest, By Company, By Date