The Federal Communications Commission is looking to bolster its regulations on how promptly telecommunication carriers notify consumers about data breaches as it seeks to align rules with federal and state data breach laws covering other sectors.
In a notice of proposed rulemaking issued on Friday, the FCC proposed to eliminate the seven-day mandatory waiting period for carriers to notify customers of a breach.
The commission also requires all breaches to be reported to the FCC, FBI and the U.S. Secret Service, as well as to consumers immediately, unless otherwise advised by authorities.
In the released statement, the commission additionally suggested to expand the definition of a “breach” to include inadvertent disclosures of customer information.
FCC is seeking comments on whether they will require customer breach notices to include specific categories of information to help ensure they contain useful information to consumers.
The FCC first adopted data breach measures for telecom carriers in 2007 and since then, data breaches nationwide have increased in both frequency and severity in all industries, said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “This new proceeding will take a much-needed, fresh look at our data breach reporting rules to better protect consumers, increase security and reduce the impact of future breaches.”