Lots of companies are comfortable programming a single caller ID for many phone lines in a call center. It's a legitimate business need. Trouble is the caller-ID is not validated for each and every call. If the target phone could contact the claimed originator, and silently ask "did you sent/initiate this message/call <token> <target number>" then phones (subject to preferences) could /dev/null incoming and not at all interrupt the owner. While SMS could be the protocol for that, they are not free for everyone, and landline users can't participate with today's handsets. The other problem is the world's hundreds of call center technologies would need to be upgraded - circling back to money. Each time the FTC brings this up the telecos say they agree it is important yet do nothing. Google and Apple could lead the charge with that silent use of SMS (subject to handset preferences). They could take it out of the hands of the telecos, and make them play catch up.