The FTC revised the list of broadband companies that are subject to an Order to File a Special Report on "privacy policies, procedures, and practices." According to the FTC, the purpose of the study is to better understand the practices of internet service providers given the development of "vertically integrated platforms" engaged in advertising-supported content.
In March 2019, the FTC sent initial requests for information to seven U.S. internet broadband providers and subsidiaries. The FTC requested information on:
- the types of personal information that are being collected on (i) consumers or (ii) their devices;
- the notices and disclosures companies give to consumers regarding companies' data collection practices;
- whether companies offer consumers any choice concerning the "collection, retention, use, and disclosure of personal information"; and
- any procedures and processes that allow consumers to "access, correct, or delete their personal information."
In the new August 2019 amended list, the FTC:
- withdrew its request to AT&T Inc. and, instead, sent an order to its subsidiary, Appnexus Inc.;
- rescinded its request to Verizon Communications Inc. and, instead, sent orders to two of its subsidiaries, Verizon Online LLC and Oath Americas Inc.; and
- sent a new request to the "nation's second largest cable provider," Charter Communications Inc.
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