FCC First Report & Order: STIR/SHAKEN Mandate

FCC 20-42 was the Federal Communications Commission’s first Report and Order establishing nationwide requirements for the implementation of STIR/SHAKEN authentication protocols across IP-based voice networks. This landmark rule making required both originating and terminating voice service providers to deploy caller ID authentication technology as part of a broader strategy to combat illegal robocalling and improve call trustworthiness in the communications ecosystem.

The order introduced attestation grading laevels (A, B, and C), which represent a provider’s confidence in the identity of the calling party and the legitimate right-to-use of the telephone number being displayed. In practice, the framework implicitly encourages Know Your Customer–style verification processes to ensure that higher-confidence attestations are defensible.

While the rule making focuses on signaling authentication, its broader impact is the operational expectation that authentication decisions must be supported by verifiable customer and identity data rather than network-level assumptions.

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KYC Relevance

Attestation is a declaration of trust; KYC functions as the evidentiary foundation that makes that declaration credible. Identity verification becomes essential to sustaining authentication integrity and supporting higher-confidence signaling outcomes.

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Numeracle’s Perspective

Authentication policy should be directly linked to documented proof of identity and number entitlement. Moving from assumption-based workflows to proof-based identity governance helps providers preserve attestation quality, reduce risk exposure, and strengthen long-term ecosystem trust.