First Orion Offers Free Caller ID

For the duration of the current pandemic, First Orion said it will make its caller ID technology available at no cost to "essential service providers" as defined by the Department of Homeland Security, which essentially means all the telecom and IP voice providers that could use it. 

First Orion said that 84% of calls go unanswered because people don't recognize--or trust--a caller's identity. But that can be a problem if the call is from a hospital bank or first responder in the new age of sheltering in place. 

Related: FCC Orders Mandatory STIR/SHAKEN Regime

"U.S. consumers are trained not to answer calls from unknown numbers so essential businesses and service providers are struggling to reach customers with critical communications," the company said. 

First Orion has been working with the government to make sure its toll-free numbers are correctly identified to call recipients. 

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.