CRTC suspends application of STIR/SHAKEN for 911 calls

The CRTC approved an application by its Interconnection Steering Committee (CISC) to defer the application of its anti-spoofing technology, the STIR/SHAKEN condition, to all 911 emergency and callback calls to eliminate the risk of emergency calls being misidentified as spoofed calls or being dropped. In its decision released Monday, the CRTC noted that it will not impose the application of the STIR/SHAKEN condition to enhance 911 (E911) emergency calls and callbacks because the network infrastructure will be phased-out in favour of next-generation 911 (NG911) technology. “Given that the development of a solution to apply STIR/SHAKEN to the legacy E911 network would, at best, be ready only shortly before the phasing out of the E911 infrastructure, imposing such a requirement to be implemented for such a short period of time, if at all, would be a waste of resources,” the commission wrote in its decision. It did not set a new deadline for the implementation of the anti-spam technology on NG911 saying the risk of emergency calls being dropped or misidentified as spam “should not be taken lightly.” The commission instead ordered CISC to monitor work related to the application of STIR/SHAKEN to NG911 calls and callbacks and file a report with the commission every six months with the first one due at the end of May. “It would be appropriate, as suggested by the working groups, to wait until some milestones are reached before setting a date as well as to request the production of reports by CISC,” the commission stated. “The proposed bi-annual reports from CISC would provide the commission with sufficient oversight.” The CRTC issued a decision in June that requires telecom service providers to establish NG911. Providers will have until March 1, 2022, to “among other things, establish their NG911 networks, complete all NG911 production onboarding activities, and be ready to provide NG911 Voice, wherever public safety answering points (PSAPs) have been established in a particular region.” By that same date, telecommunications service providers (TSPs) will have to have made the necessary changes to support NG911 Voice in their originating networks that are technically capable of supporting the service, including completing all NG911 production onboarding and testing activities. They will also have to start providing NG911 Voice to eligible customers that day, wherever answering points have been established. On Oct. 28 the Emergency Services Working Group and the CISC filed an application to the CRTC, supported by BCE Inc., Telus Corp. and Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp., requesting a delay in the STIR/SHAKEN condition. It argued that the condition does not have an exemption for 911 calls and emergency callbacks. “Given the potential for misidentified or dropped 911 calls, we respectfully request that the commission defer the application of the STIR/SHAKEN Condition to all 911 calling from end-users to PSAPs as well as callbacks from PSAPs to end-users until standards are developed and finalized and adopted by the vendor community in both the telecommunications and emergency communications fields,” the incumbents wrote in its October filling. Canada’s telecommunications companies began implementing the STIR/SHAKEN technology at the end of November as part of the CRTC’s effort to combat spoof and fraudulent calls which mask the identity of callers. The commission said in its Monday decision that STIR/SHAKEN will eventually be capable of operating on NG9-1-1. “However, the current delay in the integration of STIR/SHAKEN with NG911 is due to the lack of standards and associated vendor products, matters over which TSPs and NG911 network providers do not have a lot of control.” To ensure that CISC provides recommendations on a possible implementation timeframe in a timely manner, the commission said it must include an assessment on a possible implementation date in its second report due at the end of November. – Reporting by Jenna Cocullo at jcocullo@thewirereport.ca and editing by Paul Park at ppark@thewirereport.ca.

CRTC suspends application of STIR/SHAKEN for 911 calls

News | December 20, 2021

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CRTC suspends application of STIR/SHAKEN for 911 calls

News | December 20, 2021

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