Telecom carriers win decision on subscriber privacy
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WASHINGTON-The Bush administration is expected to appeal a federal judge&#39;s decision striking down a Patriot Act provision empowering law enforcement to force telecom carriers and Internet service providers-including wireless operators-to turn over
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(InfoWorld) - U.S. lawmakers promised to push ahead legislation aimed at cracking down on pretexting despite some objections from telecom carriers and the U.S. Department of Justice. Nearly all the members of the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee pledged to push the Prevention of Fraudulent Access to Phone Records Act, which would give the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) authority to file lawsuits against pretexters and the people who hire them. The bill would also require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to draw up new rules for telecom carriers to protect private phone records, and it would prevent carriers from sharing customer information with third parties without permission. Despite some concerns about the bill, lawmakers said consumers need protection against pretexting, the practice of posing as a telecom customer to obtain phone records and other private information. "Someone with bad intentions and a few bucks can get a hold of almost anybody's cell phone records," said Representative Fred Upton, a Michigan Republican. President George Bush signed a bill creating criminal penalties for pretexting in January. But proponents of the Prevention of Fraudulent Access to Phone Records Act say the extra protections in the bill are also needed. The Energy and Commerce Committee approved the same bill during the last session of Congress, but the legislation apparently was held up on the House floor because of concerns from federal law enforcement agencies that the bill could slow efforts to get information on terrorism suspects. Lawmakers from both parties complained that they received little explanation about why the bill died last year. Thomas Navin, chief of the FCC's Wireline Bureau, said the Department of Justice was concerned that the FCC would set up rules that consumers are notified too soon after their phone records were accessed by someone else. The DOJ wanted a delay of seven days before consumers were notified, he said. But Representative Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, said consumers should be notified immediately. "I don't think the Department of Justice should be listened to on that issue," he said. "I think [victims] should be listened to on that issue." Markey pointed to news reports this week saying the FBI may have violated the law and its internal rules while collecting telephone, data, and other personal records through the Patriot Act. "There is still a lack of respect for the law of our country," he said. Beyond the law enforcement concerns, representatives of trade groups the United States Telecom Association and CTIA-The Wireless Association said the bill could prevent them from sharing customer information with third parties that market complementary products. CTIA members don't share customers' personal information with unrelated groups, but the carriers do use third-party vendors to market wireless-related products, said Steve Largent, CTIA's president and CEO. But Representative Joe Barton, a Texas Republican, questioned industry concerns about language in the bill that could require carriers to get opt-in permission from customers to share their personal data. "It seems if we want to protect privacy, we should change this from opt out to opt in," he said.
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Ring, Ring. Someone answer the computer. Voice-over-Internet Protocol got a boost today as The Federal Communications Commission ruled that providers of the service are exempt from some major state regulations
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Dear Sir, you personal data has been made public... The European Commission has published proposals for a law change that would force telecoms firms to notify regulators and customers of all breaches of their data security.â¦
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The efforts of VoIP providers to keep individual states from regulating their services received another boost Tuesday, when an appeals court agreed with a lower court decision that ruled VoIP
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Representatives of wireless telephone carriers planning a telephone directory service told a US Senate committee Tuesday that legislation to protect their customers&#39; privacy isn&#39;t needed, because their plan already does.
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In what amounts to a big win for Vonage Holdings Corp., the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday ruled that the broadband phone company&#39;s service was exempt from state and local regulation and tariffs.
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Privacy advocates slammed AT&amp;T Inc.   on Thursday for declaring that it owned its Internet and  video customers&#039; account information and could hand the data  over to law enforcement if needed.
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The Senate voted Tuesday to shield from lawsuits telecommunications companies that helped the government eavesdrop on their customers without court permission after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
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WASHINGTON The Supreme Court is taking up the issue of whether cable-based broadband is a telecommunications service that makes it subject to the same FCC rules that apply to phone companies.
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LAS VEGAS - The major U.S. regional carriers want to leapfrog cable operators with advanced video services over IP (Internet Protocol), and expected upcoming U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rulings may help pave the way for those roll-outs.
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SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- In what is considered a victory for Internet phone-service companies, the Federal Communications Commission ruled Tuesday that such services fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government and not individual states.
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The FCC is about to approve rules that could affect open access of wireless networks, including the portability of cell phones and applications.
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WASHINGTON, Dec 15  - US telecom regulators began on Wednesday to ponder whether ending a ban on in-flight cell-phone calls would jeopardize safety or simply vex other passengers.
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Hold the phone: Warrantless surveillance of international calls and e-mails into and out of the United States can go ahead while a judge's ruling, which called the intercepts unconstitutional, works its way through the appeals process.
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A U.S. appeals court on Thursday  gave the Federal Communications Commission time to come up with  new final rules for big local U.S. telephone carriers sharing  their networks with rivals after temporarily freezing wholesale  rates.
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As the Federal Trade Commission wraps up deliberations on whether to approve the $3.1 billion deal, consumer advocates argue privacy issues must be front and center.