Today, the Federal Communications Commission voted to approve a Report and Order to update the agency’s data breach notification rules to protect consumers’ personally identifiable information. The Order updates the existing notification rules to make sure authorities and the public receive swift notice of harmful data breaches, makes providers responsible for negligent practices, and holds providers accountable for failing to take necessary precautions. Public Knowledge applauds the agency for stepping up to modernize the nation’s data breach notification rules to better protect consumers.
The following can be attributed to Harold Feld, Senior Vice President at Public Knowledge:
“Chairwoman Rosenworcel has consistently promised to make protecting consumer privacy a priority for the agency. Today’s action moves that agenda forward by providing much-needed updates to the FCC’s 15-year old privacy protection rules. These rules will require carriers to treat customer data with the care it deserves, and will allow the FCC to punish carriers that fail to take their responsibility to protect customer data seriously or who skimp on precautions to inflate their bottom line.
“Unfortunately, because the Ajit Pai FCC erroneously reclassified broadband as an ‘information service,’ broadband subscribers will not benefit from these upgrades to the FCC’s privacy rules. Hopefully, the FCC will reverse the previous decision by reclassifying broadband as a Title II telecommunications service, so that broadband subscribers will have the privacy protections they need and deserve.”
Members of the media may contact Communications Director Shiva Stella with inquiries, interview requests, or to join the Public Knowledge press list at shiva@publicknowledge.org or 405-249-9435.