FCC Proposes Nationwide Broadband Expansion, Seeks Public Comments on Privacy Safeguards
Today, the Federal Communications Commission announced that it will develop a plan to expand broadband access. The plan will attempt to "ensure that every American has access to broadband capability," and will be submitted to Congress in February 2010. The Commission seeks comments from the public concerning how to best safeguard consumers' privacy in the face of technologies such as deep packet inspection and behavioral advertising. Chairman Michael J. Copps identified priorities for the broadband expansion, including "avoiding invasions of people’s privacy." EPIC previously advocated for the FCC to require strong privacy safeguards for telephone customers' personal information, and protect wireless subscribers from telemarketing. For more information, see EPIC's pages on deep packet inspection.