Industry Disagrees on SIP Call Blocking Notification
Industry disagreed on allowing use of session initiation protocol 603 as a permanent notification option for blocked calls, in comments posted Monday in docket 17-59 (see 2201040034). The code allows call recipients to block a call without identifying a reason. The FCC Wireline Bureau previously partially granted USTelecom’s request for reconsideration and clarification that SIP code 603 could be used during the transition to SIP codes 607 and 608 (see 2112150039).
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Requiring 607 and 608 for notification “should be viewed as the linchpin” to call blocking efforts, said Incompas and the Cloud Communications Alliance. 603’s use should be reaffirmed as a “purely short term, interim measure” while ATIS finalizes standards for the other codes, the groups said, noting “substantial revisions” would be needed for 603 to be a permanent notification. The Voice on the Net Coalition agreed, saying reliance on 603 “may reduce competition within the industry and drive up consumer costs.”
Terminate 603's use as soon as 607 and 608 are interoperable, said the National Opinion Research Center, saying 603 can't "meet the notice and transparency standards" in the Traced Act. Whether carriers should be allowed to continue using 603 once the other codes are implemented is “a resounding no,” NORC said. It sought interim report requirements to "monitor carriers' progress towards full operational use" of 607 and 608. Incompas and CCA backed “periodic progress reports.”
The “uncertainty” that comes with 603 “warrants transition to 607 and 608” because those codes “provide a level of detail superior” to 603, said the Professional Association for Customer Engagement. It asked that the deadline for implementation of 607 and 608 be within six months after the original Jan. 1 deadline. VON suggested a Dec. 31 deadline for finalizing standards for 607 and 608 and phasing out 603. Seek a “projected timeline” from ATIS on when operational standards for 607 and 608 will be final and set a “firm deadline” for mandatory use of the codes, said groups including the American Bankers Association and the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals International.
Others favored the continued use of 603. It’s the “best and most pragmatic solution to provide callers with actionable information,” said USTelecom, noting the code can be modified with standardized information. It would be “unreasonable” to mandate 607 and 608 if 603 can “meet callers’ needs more quickly and at lower complexity and cost,” USTelecom said.
SIP code 603 “provides actionable information for call originators to investigate blocking,” said Transaction Network Services, noting industry is “exploring enhancements” to 603 that will “provide additional actionable information.” ABA and the other trade groups disagreed, saying additional changes to 603 could make the code “less interoperable and standardized.”
603 “currently provides sufficient information for legitimate callers to seek redress,” said NCTA, asking the FCC to “reevaluate” reliance on 607 and 608 after the June 30, 2023, Stir/Shaken implementation deadline for smaller providers. There are “significant unresolved issues” for 607 and 608, NCTA said.