Even though our surroundings, at times, can look quite simple, they do actually function in a very complicated environment. You see, at any given time, there are gazillion different forces running the show here, each one boasting an important influence on what happens in and around our life. Such a structure, as you would expect, makes for a challenging navigation process, especially when you learn that the said forces can also take up a detrimental form. Over the years, we have seen this detrimental form prove apparent in various shapes. In fact, there is enough evidence for the events where the dynamic has also led to some outright irreversible damage. Hence, in an attempt towards securing ourselves from these scenarios, the world will go on to introduce dedicated regulatory bodies throughout the spectrum. Now, the governing forces did impose what looked like a well-defined regulatory framework, but it might sound like a slight exaggeration if we deem it as flawless. Soon after the initial days were over, the world started noticing every inconsistency within this established arrangement. The latest one to appear on the horizon, however, was brought up by a recent FCC proposal.
Federal Communications Commission has officially put-forth a new proposal, which talks to how the phone companies should notify customers and the government following a breach. The current rules provide companies with a 7-day period to notify the FBI, and Secret Service specifically in place for investigating breaches that leak customer proprietary network information. Interestingly enough, phone companies cannot notify customers about the same for at least another week from when they bring government agencies in the loop. The new proposal looks to change that significantly by doing away with the mandatory waiting period before an official notification can be issued. Furthermore, if passed, the proposal will add FCC to the mix of agencies that every affected phone company must contact upon a breach. Another notable modification will mandate the organizations to dispatch notifications even when it’s seemingly an inadvertent breach.
“Customers deserve to be protected against the increase in frequency, sophistication, and scale of these data leaks, and the consequences that can last years after an exposure of personal information,” said Jessica Rosenworcel, FCC chairwoman. “I look forward to having my colleagues join me in taking a fresh look at our data breach reporting rules to better protect consumers, increase security, and reduce the impact of future breaches.”
CPNI is widely considered as the most sensitive piece of customer information a carrier can have at any point. It includes every detail regarding customer’s call history, billing setup, plan info, and much more, hence strengthening the response around it should help a lot in the long-term. While many will view the proposal like a moment of epiphany, it is actually somewhat inspired by T-Mobile’s recent breach, which affected over 50 million users.
