Wheeler Responds to Congress on Broadband Customer Privacy Proposal

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Wheeler sent letters to House Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR), and Rep Michael Burgess (R-TX) on July 11, 2016, in response to their June 1, 2016 letter, which urged the FCC to reconsider its proposed privacy rules for broadband internet access service providers.

Chairman Wheeler said Congress has enacted sector-specific privacy protections in a variety of areas in which especially sensitive information is collected and stored, and the Commission has a long history of protecting consumer privacy of information carried by communications service providers. He said the FCC's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposes a path forward toward final rules for broadband Internet access service (BIAS) that will provide clear guidance to both BIAS providers and their customers, and include the Federal Trade Commission's core principles of transparency, choice and security.