FCC Extends Comment Period on Broadband Privacy

The FCC has extended the comment period on its broadband privacy notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) until July 6.

The deadline had been June 27 for reply comments, but the FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau says that given the "voluminous record" of comments in the proceeding, it was extending the deadline to give folks more time to respond.

Related: FCC's Broadband CPNI Comments Still Missing

The FCC is proposing a new broadband privacy framework in which ISP customers will have to give their consent (an "opt in regime") for third-party uses of their information—like what sites they visit.

Related: Sen. Flake Brands FCC Opt-Out Broadband Privacy Proposal Unconstitutional

According to the FCC's website, the broadband privacy docket is the commission's most active proceeding with over 222,000 comments. 

The FCC also last month revealed it has had some problems with a backlog of comments in that and other dockets, so there was a delay in the ability of interested parties to access a large number of those comments.

The FTC used to oversee broadband privacy but had to deed that to the FCC after the FCC reclassified it as a common carrier beyond the reach of the FTC.

MVPDs have argued that the FCC should take the same approach as the FTC, which, lacking strong rulemaking authority, enforces privacy by suing companies that violate privacy policies as an unfair and deceptive practice.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.