OTTAWA - The CRTC has signed an agreement with its U.S. counterpart to work together to combat unwanted robocalls and illegitimate ID spoofing.

The Canadian telecom regulator says its partnership with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission will include research and education initiatives.

The CRTC says they will also share information, including legal developments in their jurisdictions, and participate in staff exchanges.

It says the arrangement will help protect citizens in both countries from the growing threat of unwanted robocalls.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission and FCC previously partnered to fight against things including unsolicited telecommunications and commercial electronic messages.

The CRTC also recently enlisted telephone companies to help block unsolicited and illegitimate calls to their customers, giving them about three months to develop technical solutions to block nuisance calls.