The Federal Communications Commission has finally made the move to introduce regulations which aim to reduce the amount of call spoofing and robocalls. 

     Starting by June of 2021 all cell phone carriers in the US will be required to have adopted new communication protocols known as collectively as  STIR/SHAKEN. These protocols will prevent callers from masking their real number with a local one. This would make it easier to identify likely scam calls and cut down on the amount of automated robocalls. Carriers will have the ability to automatically screen and block calls from being completed that violate the protocols. Currently there are two major carriers that have already integrated STIR/SHAKEN.

     The new protocols are apart of a long term strategy being implemented by the FCC following the passing of the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act back in December 2019.

     Carriers in Canada have been working with the FCC and have recently started adopting the STIR/SHAKEN protocols. In a public event last year in December, FCC chairmam Ajit Pai placed the first international phone call using the new protocols to Canada's CRTC chairman Ion Scott.