CIPP/US Study Guide
Chapter 11: Telecommunications and Marketing

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 and CPNI

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Section 222 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 restricts how carriers access, use and disclose customer proprietary network information (CPNI) - call detail, services used, billing - but not name, phone number or address. Carriers may use/disclose CPNI only with customer approval or as required by law.

Before the Telecommunications Act of 1996, carriers could sell customer data to third-party marketers without consent. Section 222 restricts access, use and disclosure of CPNI.

What is and is NOT CPNI

CPNI includes subscription info, services used, network and billing info, phone features, and call log data (time, date, destination, duration). It does NOT include a customer's name, telephone number, or address.

Carriers may use and disclose CPNI only with customer approval or as required by law. No approval is needed to market offerings within service categories the customer already subscribes to, or to use CPNI for billing/collections, fraud prevention, customer service and emergency services.

Key terms - quick answers

What is “Telecommunications Act of 1996”?
Major legislation reshaping telecom markets; Section 222 governs the privacy of customer information obtained by telecommunications carriers.
What is “CPNI”?
Customer proprietary network information - subscription and service data, network and billing information, phone features, and call log data (time, date, destination, duration); name, phone number and address are NOT CPNI.

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