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 NEWS  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974).  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  TTY:  1-  888-  835-  5322  FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE  NEWS  MEDIA  CONTACT: 
 January  17,  2006  Barry  Ohlson:  (202)  418-  2300  e-  mail:  barry.  ohlson@  fcc.  gov 
 STATEMENT  BY  COMMISSIONER  JONATHAN  S.  ADELSTEIN  ON  BROKERING  OF  PERSONAL  TELEPHONE  RECORDS 
 I  am  alarmed  by  reports  that  data  brokers  are  obtaining  and  selling  customers’  personal  telephone  records  without  the  customers’  consent  or  knowledge.  These  records  can  include 
 some  of  the  most  private  personal  information  about  an  individual.  Finding  out  who  people  are  calling  and  for  how  long  can  be  like  picking  someone’s  brain  about  their  friends,  plans  or 
 business  dealings.  Congress  recognized  the  sensitivity  of  this  information  in  the  Telecommunications  Act  of  1996  when  it  prohibited  phone  companies  from  using  or  disclosing 
 certain  proprietary  customer  information  without  the  customer’s  approval.  It  charged  the  FCC  with  enforcing  this  privacy  protection. 


 I  appreciate  the  recent  efforts  of  phone  companies  to  take  action  against  these  data  brokers.  Still,  the  Commission  must  also  take  immediate  steps  to  ensure  that  we  have  strong 
 consumer  privacy  rules  in  place  and  that  phone  companies  are  employing  effective  safeguards  to  shield  this  data  from  harm.  The  FCC’s  Enforcement  Bureau  has  launched  an  investigation  into 
 these  troublesome  data  brokering  practices,  and  I  support  swift  action  against  carriers  that  have  not  complied  with  our  existing  rules  and  procedures.  In  addition,  a  petition  for  rulemaking  on 
 enhanced  consumer  data  protection  standards  filed  by  the  Electronic  Privacy  Information  Center  (EPIC)  in  August  2005  could  be  an  appropriate  vehicle  for  tightening  our  rules.  I  support  quick 
 action  by  the  Commission  to  address  any  abuses  of  this  private  information. 
 -  FCC  - 
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