Attorneys General to FCC: Require Edge to Make Consumer Privacy Pledge
More than two dozen state attorneys general have written the Federal Communications Commission to make third-party, direct-to-consumer privacy pledges part of its set-top proposal. They said that would be the best way to help states, and the Federal Trade Commission, to protect privacy by enforcing the laws against unfair or deceptive practices. In a letter to the FCC, attorneys general from 15 states including from Washington (DC) and nearby Maryland, assured the FCC that their state consumer protection laws apply to third device manufacturers.
The FCC is proposing to require multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) to make set-top box content and data available to those third parties so it can be wed with over-the-top offerings and as, the theory goes, better promote a market in competitive navigation devices given that 99% are still rented from the MVPD. But the AGs said the FCC should not only require third parties to comply with MVPD privacy protections for their set-top info—like who is watching what VOD movies when—but certify that to consumers.
Attorneys General to FCC: Require Edge to Make Consumer Privacy Pledge