Comcast releases its first transparency report and other carriers face down congress in this week's policy news round-up:
Comcast comes clean
In the aftermath of the NSA surveillance revelations, many telecom members have vowed to be more transparent with the manner in which they manage customer information and communications. Comcast took initial steps toward demonstrating its commitment to this cause recently when it issued its first transparency report. The document lists the number of government requests Comcast complied with in 2013, including nearly 20,000 subpoenas. In addition, the carrier agreed to deploying trap & trace devices in 93 instances as well as two wiretaps. Trap & trace, also known as pen register tools, allow organizations to identify the phone or router numbers using a particular line.
As fallout from the NSA scandal continues, industry observers can expect similar documents to be published by members of the telecom sector.
Orange complied with NSA
The blowback from Edward Snowden's leaks has not been limited to U.S. shores, however. The NSA whistleblower reportedly had information pertaining to the efforts of foreign intelligence agencies to collect information from telecoms. According to Reuters, recently disclosed documents suggest that French telecom Orange S.A. has supplied data to the country's General Directorate for External Security.
The document – which reportedly originated from within the United Kingdom's Government Communications Headquarters – mentions that Orange has worked with the DGSE to provide information being transmitted across its network. In addition, it is believed that the telecom may working with the French government on matters of encryption and cryptography.
Verizon faces consumer complaint
One of the concerns that telecoms must keep in mind moving forward is meeting the demand for high-tech communications services while still accounting for those individuals who are not ready to let the old guard go. The need to strike the right balance between these two opposing forces was highlighted by a consumer complaint that was recently filed against Verizon. IDG News Service reported that members of The Utility Reform Network have accused Verizon of forcing customers in parts of California to give up their landlines and move to a VoIP or wireless network solution.
TURN submitted the complaint to the California Public Utilities Commission, stating that Verizon is violating both state and federal laws by refusing to provide particular telephone services to those affected residents. TURN officials expressed concern that VoIP presented a number of issues that have yet to be addressed, including fewer regulations protecting consumer interests.
"Verizon is migrating these customers to a largely deregulated fiber-based telephone service that is inferior to basic phone service in certain key respects," Regina Costa, TURN's telecom research director, stated in the complaint.
