Voice service providers face shutdown for non-compliance

October 6, 2022

The FCC Enforcement Bureau has started a process to shut down seven voice service providers for non-compliance with anti-robocalling rules. Here’s what’s happening.

The FCC Robocall Response Team announced that the following voice service providers filed deficient certifications in the Robocall Mitigation Database (RMD):

Akabis, LLC. Robocall mitigation plan is a slide, apparently created by another company, discussing steps to obtain a SHAKEN certificate. (Akabis updated their plan by October 18.)
Cloud4 Inc. Robocall mitigation plan was a request for confidentiality. (Cloud4 updated their plan on October 5, 2022.)
Global UC Inc. Robocall mitigation plan is a document with background technical information about STIR/SHAKEN. (Global UC did not update its plan by October 18. On November 22, the FCC Enforcement Bureau announced that it would remove Global UC’s certification from the RMD. All intermediate and terminating voice service providers must cease accepting traffic from Global UC within 2 days from when the Commission removes Global UC’s RMD certification filing. Their RMD filing was no longer in the RMD at 4:00 p.m. EST on November 22, 2022.)
Horizon Technology Group LLC. Robocall mitigation plan was a screenshot of their FRN from the FCC website. (Horizon Technology Group updated their plan on October 5, 2022.)
Morse Communications Inc. Robocall mitigation plan is a slide, apparently created by another company, discussing steps to obtain a SHAKEN certificate. (Morse updated their plan by October 18.)
Sharon Telephone Company (Hills, Iowa). Robocall mitigation plan was request for confidentiality. (Sharon Telephone updated their plan on October 3, 2022.)
Southwest Arkansas Telecommunications and Technology, Inc. Robocall mitigation plan was a request for confidentiality. (SW Arkansas Telecom updated their plan on October 3, 2022.)

The FCC Wireline Competition Bureau contacted these companies around October 10–19, 2021, by their RMD contact emails to inform them that their certifications did not satisfy the rules. They sent these warning letters on October 3, 2022, almost a year after the first warning.

The warning letters give these companies 14 days to correct their robocall mitigation plans else the FCC will remove their certifications from the RMD. Removal of their certifications would require any intermediate and terminating providers to stop accepting any traffic from these companies.

In the strange coincidence department, the Commission recently received comments on STIR/SHAKEN extensions and effectiveness and reply comments on proposed rules that raised concerns that there were apparently no consequences for serious deficiencies in RMD filings. Now we know that the FCC has been working on that problem.

Updated on November 22, 2022 to reflect an FCC Enforcement Bureau Public Notice.

TransNexus solutions

TransNexus is a leader in developing innovative software to manage and protect telecommunications networks. The company has over 20 years’ experience in providing telecom software solutions including toll fraud prevention, robocall mitigation and prevention, TDoS prevention, analytics, routing, billing support, STIR/SHAKEN and SHAKEN certificate services.

This information will only be used to respond to your inquiry. TransNexus will not share your data with any third parties. We will retain your information for as long as needed to retain a record of your inquiry. For more information about how we use personal data, please see our privacy statement.