FCC prepares for privacy rules
The Hill
Overnight: Technology
http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001c9Et8ccJ4qpeXwDexMC9Um63qVx2zeG4-Y9hjGsDHHLHcXHSxZQgUXmoC57kmCl-6aZ8p3Goj9oHHUO_Ka2XjrfT3sz7v9aoxp706pgKTu2IOIt4KXWyhua6dopNODPaUre2Yvd1fW07w4DnkyXYCxsAw68FK8HdfXpzbz3epGWgAecsNpCT77YPKJ_wLcJn&c=_XAsXTaOVhlf0trVp4AsRfTNtvcDYZyO6TemPwcQkOB-UvMenh3pcA==&ch=FlvhzagnN4_KCY45zZsObmxT11X5L2pa_p-4-xIQkks-Gp5j0clJqw==
LEDE: The Federal Communications Commission is preparing Internet service providers for new privacy rules included in the net neutrality order slated to take effect next month.
In a memo Wednesday, the commission said it would initially judge providers -- like AT&T or Comcast -- on whether they are "taking reasonable, good-faith steps" to comply with the privacy provision, until tailored rules can be developed.
"Although no broadband provider is in any way required to consult with the Enforcement Bureau, the existence of such a request for guidance will tend to show that the broadband provider is acting in good faith," according to the advisory. http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001c9Et8ccJ4qpeXwDexMC9Um63qVx2zeG4-Y9hjGsDHHLHcXHSxZQgUS5SdJxm5_RKUhopV-3mlL-3NjKH9c3rfhYBShGQK-dlmwLPWwF2j0jQalqzEmpwRYeCUVApsdqESroPSjYptBKW-yfj8pqkJ13blmgnPwlwKCovoflks1OcbUca8QKB5uE7wuBt20J0SZJhk12cOZxkbMy6BenDTClPRuJcl2GXL1BE5sqshTx0l2LlG3ZRcQ==&c=_XAsXTaOVhlf0trVp4AsRfTNtvcDYZyO6TemPwcQkOB-UvMenh3pcA==&ch=FlvhzagnN4_KCY45zZsObmxT11X5L2pa_p-4-xIQkks-Gp5j0clJqw==
Section 222 of the Communications Act, the privacy provision, has traditionally applied to telephone companies, which have their own specific set of rules to protect customers' private information. For example, the commission fined two telecom companies $10 million last year for storing the Social Security numbers of customers on an unencrypted server.
The privacy enforcement of Internet providers, however, previously resided with the Federal Trade Commission. But when the FCC took the controversial step of reclassifying Internet access, it also snatched up that role. Privacy is only a sliver of the new rule, which is meant to give the FCC broader authority to ensure providers treat all Internet traffic equally.