The FCC on Thursday followed through on plans to tackle consumer. The agency issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to govern the use of consumer data by broadband providers, both wired and wireless.
The FCC’s goal is to help protect the data generated by millions of people who use internet services every day. The FCC wants broadband providers to obtain permission from customers before sharing their data with others, including advertisers. The rules would apply to companies such as AT&T, Comcast, DirecTV, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon — including each company’s wireless units.
The FCC also believes consumers should be able to opt-out when they wish.
“[This] proposal would give all consumers the tools we need to make informed decisions about how our ISPs use and share our data,” said FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, “and confidence that ISPs are keeping their customers’ data secure.”
Internet providers argue the rules would reduce their ability to sell advertisements to consumers. The FCC will continue to shape the policy over the next few months and present it in more final form before fully adopting it.
