consumer consumer rights FCC Federal Communications Commission NCTA v. FCC
EPIC Calls on FCC to Prohibit Forced Arbitration
EPIC and a coalition of privacy advocates have submitted comments asking the FCC to prohibit forced arbitration clauses in communications contracts. Arbitration clauses require consumers to settle complaints in private proceedings out of court, often in inconvenient locations and before arbitrators of the company's choosing. The comments note that forced arbitration clauses allow corporations to "escape accountability for systemic harms" such as overbilling. The FCC's broadband privacy rules, adopted in October 2016, did not address forced arbitration clauses, but Chairman Wheeler announced at the FCC's October meeting that the agency had begun an internal process for rulemaking on that issue. EPIC has urged the FCC to establish comprehensive safeguards for consumer privacy, to ban pay-for-privacy schemes, and to prohibit mandatory arbitration. EPIC has frequently defended FCC privacy rules and currently has a petition pending before the FCC to end the mandatory retention of customer telephone records.
January 12, 2017| Share:
