FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 11, 2010
TIA Addresses Consumer Internet Privacy Concerns with NTIA
TIA Supports Privacy Protections for Consumers by Maintaining Existing Framework for Effective Self-Regulatory Solutions That Allow Market and Technical Innovations to Continue
Washington, D.C. – The Telecommunications Industry Association, which represents manufacturers of broadband equipment, products and services, submitted comments with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on information privacy and innovation in the Internet economy.
In the comments, TIA asserted its belief that an appropriate privacy framework balances consumer privacy concerns with the consumer benefits arising from technological innovation and business model flexibility in communications and Internet commerce. TIA noted that consumers will only adopt new information and communications technologies if they trust that their personal privacy preferences will be respected and that their personal information will remain secure.
"TIA supports the privacy framework now in place in the United States, which focuses on notice, choice, appropriate data protection, and robust enforcement," said TIA Vice President for Government Affairs Danielle Coffey. "To the extent NTIA believes that additional protections are required, it should work to facilitate the expansion of self-regulatory regimes, which have already proven successful in structuring providers' conduct, rather than supporting new prescriptive requirements, which would threaten innovation and undermine consumer welfare. Moreover, any modifications to the existing privacy framework must be technology-neutral, focusing on how information is used and protected, rather than the specific means by which it is collected and used."
TIA also noted that industry has strong incentives to protect consumer information, particularly sensitive consumer information, and thus self-regulation has been an effective complement to governmental action, particularly for new and evolving technologies.
"Industry members are well positioned to understand technological and business needs and to propose solutions that protect consumer privacy while allowing market and technical innovations to continue," said Coffey.
Read TIA's comments filed with NTIA on its agencies' filings page at tiaonline.org.
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About TIA
The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) represents the global information and communications technology (ICT) industry through standards development, advocacy, tradeshows, business opportunities, market intelligence and world-wide environmental regulatory analysis. Since 1924, TIA has been enhancing the business environment for broadband, mobile wireless, information technology, networks, cable, satellite and unified communications. Members' products and services empower communications in every industry and market, including healthcare, education, security, public safety, transportation, government, the military, the environment and entertainment.
TIA is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Visit tiaonline.org.
TIA's Board of Directors from includes senior-level executives from ADTRAN, Alcatel-Lucent, ANDA Networks, AttivaCorp, Cisco Systems, Ericsson, Inc., GENBAND, Inc., Henkels & McCoy, ILS Technology, Intel Corporation, Intersect, Inc., LGE, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia Siemens Networks, OneChip Photonics, Openwave, Inc., Panasonic Computer Solutions Co., Powerwave Technologies, Qualcomm, Research In Motion, Sumitomo Electric Lightwave Corporation, Tellabs, Tyco Electronics, Ulticom, Inc., Walker & Associates and WirefreeCom, Inc. Advisors to the Board include FAL Associates and Telcordia Technologies.
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