Nevada joins fight for privacy regulation for FCC

Thursday, Dec. 27, 2001 | 8:58 a.m.

SUN CAPITAL BUREAU

CARSON CITY -- Nevada has joined 38 other states in urging the Federal Communications Commission to again adopt a regulation that stops telephone companies from selling customers' personal information without the customers' written permission.

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals invalidated the previous FCC rule that automatically stopped the telephone companies from releasing the data unless they had the written authorization of the consumer.

Some telecommunications companies sued, asking that the rule be thrown out. The appellate court agreed, saying the FCC did not adequately consider alternatives in its regulation.

The old rule would have prohibited the telephone companies from releasing the information unless it had prior written permission from the consumer. The telecommunication companies want to be able to sell the information if they don't hear from the customer.

"Attaining the identity, address and telephone numbers of victims is the lifeblood of scam artists," Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa said Wednesday. "Making such information more readily available, especially when consumers are unaware of its dissemination, could easily lead to the victimization of Nevada citizens."

The FCC is not prohibited by the circuit court's ruling from adopting the same regulation again, Del Papa said.