CHARLES E. SCHUMER
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United ~tat(5 ~rnate
WASHINGTON, DC 20510
August 21, 2011
BANKING
DEMOCRATIC POLICY 5: COMMUNICATIONS
FINANCE
JUDICIARY
RULES
The Honorable Eric H. Holder, Jr.
Attorney General
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-000 I
Julius Genachowski
Chairman
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20554
Dear Anorney General Holder and Chairman Genachowski,
I write today to express my concerns about' the theft of wireless devices. With the advent
of smart phones, theft of handheld devices has grown dramatically in the past few years.
American carriers who use GSM technology exacerbate this problem by only disabling SIM
cards in phones. In the United Kingdom, carriers have the ability to disable handsets based on
numbers such as IMEIs, serial numbers, or MElDs. As you may know, Verizon already uses this
on its CDMA network.
I therefore ask you to study the system in place in the United Kingdom, in which GSM
carriers are able to deactivate handsets based on serial numbers, and help individual carriers
implement a similar system that maximizes both theft deterrence and network security. I also
ask that you report back to me about your ability to oversee such a system and whether any law
is required to ensure the security and privacy of wireless customers. While this solution will not
eliminate theft, it will ensure that thieves will be selling inactive phones that have linle value to
customers. British telecommunication companies have even ensured that deactivated devices arc
still able to call 911 in case of emergencies.
I thank you for your attention to this matter and look [on,yard to working with you on this
important issue.
O::;:'~L-
Charles Schumer
United States Senator
1176