FCC plans to turn over private data to aid broadband stimulus

The public has until December 7 to comment on plans the Federal Communications Commission announced the day before Thanksgiving to release its vast database of private telecom services to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration for it to use in evaluating whether broadband stimulus proposals refer to so-called "unserved" and "underserved" areas. The FCC is considering handing over to the NTIA information in its 477 forms, which facilities-based service providers are required to submit twice a year. The forms detail each provider's voice and broadband service subscribers and availability along with the maximum speeds of each service and other information. The FCC has historically allowed companies to request the information to be kept confidential but includes that information, aggregated anonymously, in published reports. NTIA, in its request for the data, said it would keep confidential information private, adhering if necessary to the same process the FCC uses in response to public requests filed under the Freedom of Information Act.