Under current California law, if you don't pay AT&T a hefty monthly fee to keep your phone number private, they will publish your phone number and either make it available, or sell it to every telemarketer and con artists who is willing to pay for it. UCAN and the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse are fighting the practice. On April 22, the groups co-authored a Letter of Support for SB437, which will prevent the practice.

Background:

In May 2007, AT&T started charging a $1.25 a month "protection" fee to keep your phone number unlisted -- an increase of 346% over the original monthly fee of 28 cents.

AT&T claims this covers the costs associated with not printing your number in the phone book, not making your number available to online searchers, and for not selling your phone number to telemarketers. AT&T has been able to get away with this because of slacker regulators at the California Public Utilities Commission who have a history of ignoring abuses by AT&T.

It sounds a little like an old-school protection racket doesn't it?  How much would you pay AT&T to not do other things?  What happens if they start charging you monthly fees for NOT burning down your house or NOT stealing your credit numbers? 

SB437 will forbid AT&T from charging you "protection" money to keep your private information private.  Article 1 of the California Constitution guarantees a right to privacy. Unfortunately, Governor Schwarzenegger failed to honor his oath of office to defend your constitutional right to privacy when he vetoed SB437 after it passed in the Assembly and Senate. 

UCAN supports SB437

In April, the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (a project of UCAN), and UCAN wrote the Senate Energy, Utilities & Communications Committee with a letter of support for Sb 437. Let's hope the Governor doesn't veto it again.  But don't hold your breath ... AT&T has been a very generous donor to Mr. Schwarzenegger.

Our suggestion? Why not send AT&T a bill for not using their phone service.