FCC Privacy Task Force Announces Chairwoman Rosenworcel's Proposed Rules to Protect Consumers' Cell Phone Accounts

The Federal Communications Commission Privacy and Data Protection Task Force announced new rules to protect consumers against scams that aim to commandeer their cell phone accounts. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel shared the new rules with her colleagues for their consideration. If adopted by a vote of the full FCC, the rules would help protect consumers from scammers who target data and personal information through SIM-swapping scams and port-out fraud by stealing consumers’ cell phone accounts without ever gaining physical control of a consumer’s phone. The FCC is focused on protecting consumers’ data from attacks like these cell phone account scams. To lead and coordinate this important work, Chairwoman Rosenworcel created the Privacy and Data Protection Task Force to work on privacy and data protection issues subject to the Commission’s authority under the Communications Act. The proposed Report and Order would revise the FCC’s Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI) and Local Number Portability rules to require wireless providers to adopt secure methods of authenticating a customer before redirecting a customer’s phone number to a new device or provider. It would also require wireless providers to immediately notify customers whenever a SIM change or port-out request is made on customers’ accounts, and take additional steps to protect customers from SIM swap and port-out fraud.