FCC proposes stronger KYC rules to end spam calls

Spam calls are a bane of our hyper-connected world, and the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is taking stricter steps to curb the menace of robocallers and illegal calls in the network.

A new FCC proposal aims to strengthen the know-your-customer (KYC) rules for telecom service providers. The commission hopes that a more stringent KYC process will help eliminate robocalls before they ever reach the network.

Right now, the FCC is seeking comments on how these KYC rules can be implemented, with potential measures including telecom operators to verify customer identities before enabling service. This may include asking customers to share their name, government ID, address, and any alternative phone numbers they already have.

KYC rules are not new to carriers in the United States, and they are already required to take steps to know their customers and help prevent illegal and fraudulent calls on their networks. However, FCC chairman Brendan Carr said in a statement that some service providers “do the bare minimum (or worse) and have become complicit in illegal robocalling schemes.”

To that end, the FCC is also seeking comments on how it can assess carriers’ violations of the KYC rules. The commission aims to use the number of illegal calls originating from a carrier’s network to impose proportional penalties.

Stricter norms for foreign companies

The regulatory body is also taking steps to disallow foreign companies on the FCC’s ‘covered list’ from operating interstate telecom services within the United States.

While companies in the ‘covered list’ are already banned from selling equipment in the US, “many of these entities — and others identified on the FCC’s covered list — continue to operate or potentially operate in the United States by providing services that do not fall under the legal definition of international telecommunications authority,” said Carr.

Under the new rule, such companies will have to apply for authorization and will no longer be able to take advantage of the blanket authorization the FCC grants domestic operators to provide services within the United States.

Further, a third rule states that the FCC will no longer recognize overseas testing labs and certification authorities unless they have reciprocity agreements with US testing labs and certification authorities.

In a statement, Carr said, “This will not only ensure reciprocal international commercial relations, but also will ensure that the FCC has sufficient oversight, monitoring, and enforcement authority to guarantee the integrity of the equipment authorization process.”