SENATE, No. 1988

By Mr. Tisei, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1988) of Richard R. Tisei for legislation to protect consumer privacy rights. Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy.
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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Seal of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

In the Year Two Thousand and Seven.

AN ACT to protect consumer privacy rights

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Chapter 166 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2004 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting at the end thereof the following new section:-

Section 45. To ensure that consumer privacy rights are preserved for all residents of the Commonwealth, telecommunications providers shall:

(a)    maintain their customer telephone database internally, and under no circumstances release this information to any private entity or subcontractor; and

(b)   fully mask a customer’s telephone number when providing information on a customer’s bill payment history to any credit reporting bureau.

Violations of this section shall be punishable by a fine of $1,000 for the first offense and

$5,000 for each subsequent offense.