What Your Telephone Company Knows About You - And Controlling How They Use It

Your local long distance and cellular telephone company know what numbers you call, how often you call them, how much you pay to call them, what services you subscribe to, how you use those services, and other personal and sensitive information about your telephone usage. This information is called Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI). Under the law, telephone companies have a duty to protect this information.

How can Telephone Companies Use This Information?

First a telephone company must obtain customer approval to use, or to share with its affiliate or third parties. Having said that, companies can use this information to market to the customer any service and products that the customer does not already receive from that company or third parties. A telephone company can use CPNI to market to the customer any services or products currently received from that company without any approval from the customer.

How Can Telephone Companies Obtain Customer Approval to Use This Information?

Sending the customer a notice telling him or her that the company will use (and/or share with its affiliates or third parties) his or her CPNI to market telecommunications related products and services that the customer does not currently subscribe to unless the customer tells the company not to do so. This is known as the "opt-out" method because the customer's approval is assumed unless he or she "opts-out" of the company's use of the CPNI.

"Opt-In" does not allow the company to use any information unless the customer actually agrees to it.

How Can I Control The Way Telephone Companies Use My Information?

Read your telephone bill and any other notices that you receive from your telephone company. (this applies to credit card companies as well) Determine if your company uses the "opt-in" or "opt-out". In 95% of the cases, it will be "opt-out" because it requires the customer to act rather than the company. Decide if you indeed want your telephone company to use or share such information with its affiliates, and whether you want to be marketed additional products and services from this company. Make our choice clear to the telephone company.

Remember this applies to all telephone companies - local, long distance, wireless, and VoIP. You will need to make your decision known to each company.

Be sure to follow through by signing up for the DO-NOT-CALL-LIST

For more information or telephone company issues, you can visit the FCC Website http://www.fcc.gov or call them at 1-888-225-5322 (voice) 1-888-TELL-FCC (TTY)