The Honorable Ajit V. Pai November 8, 2019 Page 2 Against this backdrop, on several occasions, Committee members have made it clear that the FCC must act expeditiously to fulfill its obligation to protect consumers' privacy interests · and hold carriers accountable to the ex,tent they have violated the FCC's rules. The requests include the following: " On January 11, 2019, Chairman Pallone urged you to promptly briefthe Committee on the FCC's failure to end wireless carriers' unauthorized disclosure of consl.tmers' real-time location data in light of the public safety and national security issues raised by this disclosure. " On February 4, 2019, Chairmen Pallone and Doyle asked you to update the Committee on all matters the FCC was working on, including enforcement matters. " On February 19, 2019, Chairmen Pallone and Doyle asked you to provide the Committee all documents related to your decision to deny the January 11, 2019 request for art emergency briefing on the carriers' unauthorized disclosure. " On May 15, 2019, the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held an oversight hearing where several members of this Committee expressed alarm over the wireless carriers' unauthorized disclosure and solight more information on the status of the FCC' s investigation into the matter. As a result of the work of members of the Committee, and others, reports indicate that these carriers have stopped the sharing ofreal-time location data with data aggregators.3 This is good news. Nevertheless, we are concerned that the Commission is shirking its obligation to enforce the Communications Act and the rules it has issued to protect consumers' privacy. Despite announcing that it began an investigation into the wireless carriers after being made aware of the allegations in 2018, the FCC has failed, to date, to take any action. And now time is running out since the statute of limitations gives the FCC one year to act. www .motherboard. vice. com/en_ us/ article/panvkz/ stalkers-debt-collectors-bounty-hunters­ impersonate-cops-phone-location-data. 3 See, e.g., Kendra Chamberlain, Wireless carriers tell FCC they stopped selling user location data to aggregators, Fierce Wireless (May 17, 2019), www.fiercewireless.com/tech/at­ t-sprint-verizon-and-t-mo bile-respond-to-fcc-s-request-for-update-location-data-services; Jon Reid, AT&T, Verizon Say They've Stopped Selling Location Data to Third Parties, Bloomberg Law (May 16, 2019), www.news.bloomberglaw.com/tech-and-telecom-law/at-t-verizon-say­ theyve-stopped-~elling-location-data-to-third-parties. The Honorable Ajit V. Pai November 8, 2019 Page 3 To that end, we request that you provide an update on the FCC's investigation into the carriers' disclosure of consumers' real-time location data by November 29, 2019. Should you have any questions, please contact Gerald Leverich of the Democratic Committee staff at (202) 225-2927. Sincerely, 1-P" ,~· Frank Pallone, Jr. Mike Doyle Chairman Chairman Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Teclmology &1D~~ ~ Doris 0. Matsui Ben Ray Lujan Lebbie.D~ Debbie Dingell 9~ 4;rf;- Darren Soto