FCC Proposes New Rules for Call Branding and Caller ID Verification

At its October Open Meeting, the FCC approved a comprehensive Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Public Notice (“Further Notice”) proposing to require new “call branding” technologies to enhance current caller ID authentication systems and give consumers more information so they can determine which calls to answer. The proposals in the Further Notice would supplement the FCC’s STIR/SHAKEN call authentication requirements by providing additional caller identity information, an approach known as branded calling. The new rules, if adopted, would require certain voice service providers to transmit verified caller identity information (e.g., caller name and logo / call purpose) via Rich Call Data (RCD) and to display that information on consumers’ handsets.

The Further Notice separately proposes to simplify, streamline, or eliminate some Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) calling rules, which the FCC suggests may be outdated. The related Public Notice dismisses several dormant petitions for reconsideration or declaratory ruling related to TCPA rules.

Improving the Utility of A-Level Attestation

The FCC’s core proposal, if adopted, would incorporate call branding — i.e., additional “verified caller identity information” — into A-Level attestation under the STIR/SHAKEN call authentication framework. Currently, some carriers display a checkmark or other indicator on a subscriber’s handset when that call receives A-Level attestation under STIR/SHAKEN — but the subscriber may still not know who specifically is calling. The Further Notice proposes that whenever a terminating voice service provider chooses to display an A-Level attestation indicator on a handset, it must also present verified caller ID information, which would include, at a minimum, the caller’s verified name (business or personal). The FCC also asks whether this requirement should be expanded to include broader call branding data, such as a business caller’s logo or the call’s purpose, which can be accomplished using RCD technology.

The proposal includes other related elements, such as the obligation for providers that transmit caller identity information to take reasonable steps to verify its accuracy (for example, by vetting any branding claims or confirming that logos or other trade names can be tied to that caller). It also defines “verified caller identity information” as “information provided by a caller identification service regarding the telephone number of, or other information regarding the origination of, a call made using a voice service or a text message sent using a text messaging service,” which includes a “caller’s name, location or other information about the source of the call” but does not include the originating number or part of the number (like an area code) or billing information.”

The FCC explains that this proposal will improve the current STIR/SHAKEN framework because attestation without identity “provides little benefit” and often still misleads consumers. By pairing attestation with verified caller identity information, the FCC believes it can start to rebuild trust in the nation’s calling networks. As FCC Chairman Brendan Carr noted, requiring that providers display a verified caller name along with other information “give[s] Americans better tools to recognize legitimate calls from scams” and empowers consumers to make meaningful choices about when to answer their phone.

Additional Focus on Foreign-Originated Calls

The FCC has long identified calls that originate overseas as one of the most voluminous and pernicious sources of illegal call traffic and telephone scams. In line with the Further Notice’s push to offer more useful caller identity information, the FCC also proposes to require that gateway providers indicate when calls originate overseas, intermediate providers pass that indicator along unaltered, and terminating providers present an on-handset indicator when they know (or should know) a call has originated outside of the United States. However, the FCC seeks comment on a number of details of this proposal, such as how the providers should signal a call’s country of origin and the best way to display that information on handsets, and how country-of-origin data should be factored into call-blocking analytics.

In targeting foreign-originated scam calls, the Further Notice also explores methods for deterring the use of US North American Number Plan numbers for foreign-originated calls, including potentially prohibiting such use (with a carve-out for Americans’ phones roaming while overseas).

While noting this proposal’s clear benefits to consumers and the FCC’s goal of reducing illegal calls, Chairman Carr offered that taking these actions would also “encourage corporations to onshore more of their call center operations,” providing an additional potential benefit from these proposed rules.

Modernizing TCPA Calling Rules

Consistent with the FCC’s overall push to reexamine older and potentially outdated regulations, as well as rules that the FCC believes harm consumers, the Further Notice proposes modifying or eliminating several TCPA restrictions applicable to callers. In particular, the Further Notice examines the following categories of rules:

• Call abandonment (e.g., the current 15-second or four-ring and 3% abandonment thresholds). The Further Notice proposes eliminating these restrictions, noting that technological advances and overlapping provisions of the FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule render them unnecessary and would promote consistent application.
• Callback number requirement. The Further Notice proposes to modify the requirement that callers using an artificial or prerecorded voice in calls also include a callback number that is not a 900 number or a number that would impose any local or long-distance charges on consumers. The proposed amendment would only require the provision of any number that can accept opt-outs.
• Consent Revocation Rule. The Further Notice proposes eliminating the rules that require callers to treat certain opt-outs as applying to all future calls from that caller, regardless of subject matter, and prohibits callers from designating specific, required methods of opting out of future calls. (The effective date of the first aspect had already been extended to April 2026.)

The Further Notice also proposes eliminating the rules permitting voice service providers to block calls from numbers on a do-not-originate list since the FCC has subsequently adopted rules requiring such blocking, thereby mooting the permissive blocking rules.

While Commissioner Olivia Trusty framed this initiative as realigning the FCC’s TCPA rules with modern technology and an attempt to mitigate some unintended consequences (for example, consumers inadvertently opting out of important messages from their utility services, employers, or banks), Commissioner Anna Gomez, though supportive of the item, cautioned the agency to be mindful of the modifications it makes to the TCPA rules to avoid undermining their original intent: protecting consumers from unwanted calls.

Next Steps

The Further Notice appears to signal a new phase in the FCC’s robocall mitigation efforts — moving from “number-only trust” to “identity‑verified trust” — driven by the proliferation of carriers’ use of RCD and related technology advances. If these rules are adopted as proposed, carriers may face new and additional call authentication obligations, such as more vetting of their customers’ identities, implementing systems capable of passing that information along the call chain, and stricter scrutiny of foreign-originated call traffic.

Stakeholders can weigh in on the FCC’s proposals during the comment and reply comment periods, which are 30 and 60 days, respectively, after the FNRPM is published in the Federal Register.

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