US hits anti-robocall milestone but annoying calls won’t stop any time soon

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The nation's largest phone companies have met a federal deadline to deploy a new anti-robocall technology, but unwanted calls and scams will continue to be an annoying problem for Americans for the foreseeable future.

Federal Communications Commission Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced Wednesday that "the largest voice service providers are now using STIR/SHAKEN caller ID authentication standards in their IP networks, in accordance with the [June 30] deadline set by the FCC. This widespread implementation helps protect consumers against malicious spoofed robocalls and helps law enforcement track bad actors."

STIR/SHAKEN was deployed by large mobile carriers AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and US Cellular. In March, the FCC denied petitions for a deadline extension from Verizon and US Cellular, saying that "the petitioners have failed to meet the high standard of 'undue hardship.'" The Verizon petition was limited to a small portion of its fiber-based home phone network.

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