The Federal Communications Commission (“FCC” or “Commission”) is seeking comments on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to refresh its customer proprietary network information (“CPNI”) data breach reporting requirements (the “Rule”). Adopted earlier this month by a unanimous 4-0 vote of the Commission, the NPRM solicits comments on rule revisions that would expand the scope of notification obligations and accelerate the timeframe to notify customers after a data breach involving telephone call detail records and other CPNI. The FCC cites “an increasing number of security breaches of customer information” in the telecommunications industry in recent years and the need to “keep pace with today’s challenges” and best practices that have emerged under other federal and state notification standards as reasons to update the Rule.
According to the current Rule, a “breach” means that a person “without authorization or exceeding authorization, has intentionally gained access to, used, or disclosed CPNI.” As summarized in the NPRM, CPNI includes “phone numbers called by a consumer, the frequency, duration, and timing of such calls, the location of a mobile device when it is in active mode (i.e., able to signal its location to nearby network facilities), and any services purchased by the consumer, such as call waiting.” (The NPRM does not propose any changes to the definition of CPNI.)
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