Customer proprietary network information

Definition

Under Section 222(h) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI) is defined as:

“

(A) information that relates to the quantity, technical configuration, type, destination, location, and amount of use of a telecommunications service subscribed to by any customer of a telecommunications carrier, and that is made available to the carrier by the customer solely by virtue of the carrier-customer relationship; and (b) information contained in the bills pertaining to telephone exchange service or telephone toll service received by a customer of a carrier, except that such term does not include subscriber list information.

”

Overview

The Act requires telecommunications carriers and interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (“VoIP”) providers to secure CPNI. Section 222 of the Act and the implementing rules require telecommunications carriers and interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers to secure CPNI. These entities must obtain consumers' authorization before disclosing the protected data.

Location-based information

Location information is one of the categories of information that the CPNI rules protect. The CPNI rules apply only to telecommunications carriers and not to the numerous non-carriers, such as providers of mapping applications or GPS applications in automobiles, that may offer location-enhanced services without relying on the carriers or the carriers' networks.