WASHINGTON, DC — ATIS today announced the formal launch of the Secure Telephone Identity Governance Authority (STI-GA), the industry-led effort to support the timely deployment of the STIR/SHAKEN protocol and framework. STIR/SHAKEN is a priority in industry efforts to mitigate unwanted robocalling. ATIS, working with the SIP Forum, developed the SHAKEN (Signature-based Handling of Asserted information using toKENs) framework, which specifies a practical mechanism for service providers to implement the IETF’s STIR protocol to authenticate calls. SHAKEN lets consumers know that the information displayed on their caller ID is accurate — and alerts them when that may not be the case. This mechanism is critical to addressing the FCC’s number one cause of consumer complaints. ATIS was selected to establish the STI-GA based on the consensus of industry trade associations identified in a recommendation of the FCC’s North American Numbering Council (NANC), and the FCC has accepted this recommendation.
“The solutions developed by the ATIS/SIP Forum IP-NNI Task Force as well as our ability to put them into action by establishing the STI-GA are critical to mitigating the serious problem of unwanted robocalling,” said ATIS President and CEO Susan Miller. “We look forward to advancing this industry-led initiative so critical to maintaining consumer trust in the voice network.”
The STI-GA will ensure the integrity of the issuance, management, security and use of Secure Telephone Identity certificates issued in compliance with the SHAKEN specification. It is also responsible for monitoring deployment progress and operational experience with the SHAKEN ecosystem, identifying issues that emerge and initiating analysis of these issues so that STIR/SHAKEN remains effective at mitigating unwanted robocalls. The STI-GA also selects the Policy Administrator (PA), which is responsible for applying the rules defined by the STI-GA, including ensuring that certification authorities implement appropriate certificate management practices and that certificates are only issued to authorized service providers. The RFP for the STI-PA is scheduled to be issued later this year to ensure that the RFP responses can be evaluated and the PA selected within the aggressive timeframe proposed by the NANC.
“AT&T is excited that its leadership in the standards development and initial testing of STIR/SHAKEN has helped move the industry to the implementation phase,” said Linda Vandeloop, Assistant Vice President, External Affairs, AT&T and Chair of the STI-GA. “We look forward to continued work with ATIS on the Governance Authority and implementing STIR/SHAKEN.”
“Comcast is proud to have provided a leadership role in the development of the SHAKEN protocol and fully supports the formation of the Governance Authority under ATIS as a crucial step in establishing the structure for the SHAKEN ecosystem,” stated Tim Kagele, Executive Director for Carrier Services, Comcast.
The initial STI-GA Board consists of representatives from the following stakeholders:
- Chair – Linda Vandeloop, AT&T
- Vice Chair – Glenn Clepper, Charter Communications; appointed by NCTA – The Internet & Television Association
- Clinton Lee, Jackson Energy Authority; appointed by the American Cable Association
- Nathan Sutter, Nex-Tech Wireless; appointed by the Competitive Carriers Association
- Indra Chalk, T-Mobile; appointed by CTIA
- Greg Rogers, Bandwidth; appointed by INCOMPAS
- Dave Frigen, Wabash Communications; appointed by NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association
- Chris Oatway, Verizon; appointed by US Telecom
- Gunnar Halley, Microsoft; appointed by the VON Coalition
- Michael Starkey; appointed by Western Telecommunications Alliance and TEXALTEL
- Tim Kagele, Comcast
- Darah Franklin, Google
Learn more at the STI-GA site.
About ATIS
As a leading technology and solutions development organization, the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) brings together the top global ICT companies to advance the industry’s business priorities. ATIS’ 150 member companies are currently working to address 5G, robocall mitigation, Smart Cities, artificial intelligence-enabled networks, distributed ledger/blockchain technology, cybersecurity, IoT, emergency services, quality of service, billing support, operations, and much more. These priorities follow a fast-track development lifecycle – from design and innovation through standards, specifications, requirements, business use cases, software toolkits, open source solutions, and interoperability testing.
ATIS is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). ATIS is the North American Organizational Partner for the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a founding Partner of the oneM2M global initiative, a member of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), as well as a member of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL). For more information, visit www.atis.org. Follow ATIS on Twitter and on LinkedIn.
