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 STATEMENT  OF  CHAIRMAN  KEVIN  J.  MARTIN 
 Re:  Implementation  of  the  Telecommunications  Act  of  1996;  Petition  for  Rulemaking  to  Enhance  Security  and  Authentication  Standards  for  Access  to  Customer 
 Proprietary  Network  Information,  CC  Docket  No.  96-  115,  RM-  11277 
 With  this  Notice  of  Proposed  Rulemaking,  we  ask  how  we  can  better  protect  customers’  private  telephone  records  from  unauthorized  disclosure.  This  item  responds 
 directly  to  the  petition  filed  with  the  Commission  by  the  Electronic  Privacy  Information  Center  (EPIC).  In  its  Petition,  EPIC  expresses  concerns  about  the  sufficiency  of  carrier 
 practices  relating  to  customer  proprietary  network  information  (CPNI)  in  light  of  numerous  reports  that  online  “data  brokers”  and  private  investigators  are  engaged  in  the 
 sale  of  customers’  personal  telephone  records.  EPIC  claims  that  these  data  brokers  are  obtaining  unauthorized  access  to  CPNI  through  various  possible  means,  including 
 through  “pretexting”  –  that  is,  by  pretending  to  be  a  customer  seeking  access  to  that  customer’s  own  telephone  records.  Today,  we  seek  comment  on  whether  additional 
 Commission  rules  are  necessary  to  strengthen  the  safeguards  currently  in  place  to  protect  consumers’  sensitive  telephone  record  data.  I  support  this  Notice  because  I  am  deeply 
 concerned  about  reports  of  companies  trafficking  in  personal  telephone  records  and  I  want  to  thank  my  fellow  Commissioners  for  considering  this  Notice  expeditiously. 
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