Telecom Regulatory Updates

SHAKEN is an acronym standing for Signature-based Handling of Asserted information using toKENs. SHAKEN is a software based verification process designed to significantly reduce robocalls as well as ensuring caller ID displays are valid protecting consumers. The FCC’s recent report states that unwanted calls are their number one consumer complaint. Caller ID spoofing leads to fraud.

Yes, SHAKEN was created by the task force IP-NNI working for ATIS-SIP Forum. IP-NNI stands for “Internet Protocol – Network to Network Interface”. The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) formed the working group STIR (Secure Telephone Identity Revisited) to develop policies for carriers. STIR in turn created SHAKEN which is why it is typically referred to as STIR/SHAKEN.

Based on a business profile created by the company there are multiple factors that drive an attestation trust score. Trust scores are derived from the longevity of the business, tax ID or DUNS number, physical address, and verified company contacts. Based on the attestation trust score, calls that are being initiated by a company and delivered to the carrier’s consumer phone, validation will be provided in the following (e.g. Spam, Scam Likely, or “valid company name” ).

Beginning June 30, 2021 STIR-SHAKEN initiative will be implemented by United States telecommunications providers. This will enhance consumer confidence and trust when accepting calls.

That will depend on your provider, and telephone manufacturer as to what caller ID display will show (e.g. Spam, Scam Likely, or “valid company name” ).

Once your business registration is approved in CallTrackingMetrics, we will be able to pass a STIR/SHAKEN token to the recipient’s phone provider on every outbound call. This STIR/SHAKEN token has become the new standard that all phone providers are using to identify what is or isn’t a “spam risk”. Having the token applied SHOULD help right away. The token registration will be automatically applied to any new or existing numbers within the account. This is the recommended best practice today for all of our customers using outbound dialing.

Please note that the “Spam Risk” label is being applied by your contacts phone company. It’s hard for us to say with 100% certainty they don’t have specific numbers flagged as spam in a database of their own for some reason and won’t keep flagging them as spam even after the registration is approved.

At this time, CallTrackingMetrics is not aware of any additional fees to consumers. However, the industry is still defining guidelines. Agencies may incur fees when challenging their attestation trust score.

Yes, the business attestation trust score generated from these calls will be vetted to ensure validity of the company’s identity.

At this time carriers are still defining rules and attestation criteria. There is no clear plan for calls with low attestation scores. However, it is possible that low attestation scored calls will not be delivered. As information becomes available we will post updates here.

Once an attestation trust score is established, over time businesses will gain additional credibility and their attestation score should increase with the carriers. However, low answers rates and short call duration calls (Under 60 seconds) could contribute to lowering a company’s attestation trust score causing calls not to be delivered.

Yes, if you have established a high attestation trust score the call should be delivered. The higher the attestation score, the more likely the call will be delivered to the end user. Should a company’s attestation score drop, they will most likely see a decline in call delivery.

The requirements needed for the A2P 10DLC service are as follows:

• Business profile creation/registration is the first step needed to identify who they are in order to send messages to the carrier networks.
• Calltrackingmetrics offers A2P registration for up to 5 numbers that will be associated with a business. There is no monthly registration fee associated with the registration. Carrier per message surcharges do apply. (See carrier delivery passthrough surcharges fees)
• Registration will need to be completed using the CTM Trust Center. For further assistance on the steps involved in registration please refer to: https://www.calltrackingmetrics.com/support/numbers/number-management/buy-numbers/business-registration-stir-shaken-a2p-10dlc-text-message-campaign-registration/ 

• Registration starts on April 1, 2021. In order for you to register you will need to create a Business Profile, ensure your numbers are registered for STIR/SHAKEN, and assign the 5 phone numbers you intend to use for your A2P 10DLC text messaging campaigns.
• Starting May 1, 2021 the AT&T pass through fees charges will go into effect for each message. Unregistered campaigns may have higher associated carrier pass through fees for Short Messaging Service (SMS) and Multi Media Service (MMS).
• June 1, 2021 is the registration deadline for AT&T. If campaigns are not registered, it is possible that AT&T will start blocking SMS and MMS for non-registered A2P 10DLC on their network.
  We encourage customers that are currently sending messages to complete the registration process for your 5 numbers so your messages are delivered to the AT&T network.

• On May 1, AT&T’s pass through surcharges go into effect, AT&T will be charging a higher pass through chanrge for unregistered traffic for SMS and MMS (see the fees table below). On June 1, 2021 AT&T intends to increase their filtering for non-registered SMS and MMS, to protect their customers from unwanted messages or SPAM .
• It is currently believed that T-Mobile & Sprint are also going to require registration under the A2P 10DLC requirements. Once CTM gets further information regarding this we will update this document accordingly.

Yes, you will want to register this as Conversation Messaging which is a Declared Use Case. Any text message sent from Calltrackingmetrics is considered an A2P message.

No, registration will be available entirely through CallTrackingMetrics. CallTrackingMetrics and our partners have integrated directly with The Campaign Registry (TCR) to facilitate registration for customers.

No, if you already are using 10 digit phone numbers for sending messages there is no need to buy new numbers. However, you will need to register the existing phone numbers for each campaign type to ensure your message will be delivered.

In order to register you need to have your Business Profile approved, register your phone numbers for STIR/SHAKEN and assign the 5 phone numbers you intend to use. For more information on Business Registration please refer to the following: https://www.calltrackingmetrics.com/support/numbers/number-management/buy-numbers/business-registration-stir-shaken-a2p-10dlc-text-message-campaign-registration/

Yes, it is recommended that if you are using high-volume MMS campaigns, then leveraging a short code is still the best option.

These changes do not directly affect dedicated short codes along with Toll-Free numbers.

Effective June 1, 2021 Shared Short codes will be prohibited for use for high-volume messages

Yes, they can be under one company name under Declared Use Case. Please note, any text message sent from CallTrackingMetrics is considered an A2P message

TCPA, or the Telephone Consumer Protection Act are rules and regulations put in place by the The Federal Communications Commission that went into effect in 1992.

STIR/SHAKEN is an expansion of TCPA, and is being put in place to instill calling confidence with customers. This set of industry standards is designed to reduce spam robocalls, prevent the “spoofing” of Caller ID data and help businesses improve voice security

Robocalls are prerecorded or autodialed calls made to your landline or cell phone, usually when you have not given permission for the caller to contact you. They are often made by telemarketers, who are callers contacting you to sell a product or service, usually unsolicited. Robocalls can also come from other entities besides telemarketers, such as debt collectors.

• Telemarketing calls can only be made between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. (local time at the called party’s location)
• All telemarketers must comply with limits on “abandoned calls” and employ other consumer-friendly practices when using automated telephone-dialing equipment
• A telemarketer must abandon no more than 3 percent of calls answered by a person and must deliver a prerecorded identification message when abandoning a call
• Telemarketers must not disconnect an unanswered telemarketing call prior to at least 15 seconds or four rings
• All pre-recorded messages, whether delivered by automated dialing equipment or not, must identify the name of the entity responsible for initiating the call, along with the telephone number of that entity that can be used during normal business hours to ask not to be called again
• All telemarketers must transmit caller ID information, when available, and must refrain from blocking any such transmission(s) to the consumer
• All businesses that use auto dialers to sell services must maintain records documenting compliance with call abandonment rules
• Make sure to provide an opt-out function to put the phone number on the DNC registry
• The (Do Not Call Registry) DNC list needs to be specific to your organization and on file for 5 years
• Avoid calling numbers where the recipient is paying for the call (healthcare offices, mobile numbers, and even medical facilities)

This is the page the FCC maintains regarding how businesses can sign up to get subscriptions for the FCC’s do not call lists. Businesses can purchase subscriptions for specific area codes or for all area codes. (See Subscribing To Area Codes section)

There are several ways to contact our support team. If you are inside the CallTrackingMetrics platform, you may select the “Chat with Support” option. Additionally, you may reach our team by phone at (443) 432-2896 or create a support ticket by sending an email to info@calltrackingmetrics.com.

To help keep customers informed, we are sending regular emails related to these regulatory changes and proactively keeping this web page up-to-date. We recommend reviewing these resources often, as information is subject to change.