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OFFICE OF
THE CHAIRMAN
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
WASHINGTON
April 11,2014
The Honorable Al Franken
Chairman.
Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law
United States Senate
224 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Chairman Franken:
Thank you for your letter urging the Federal Communications Commission to take further
international and domestic steps to combat theft of mobile devices. As you correctly point out,
this is a global concern, and to be truly effective the participation of foreign governments and
carriers is essential. The Commission is working with the international community and all
stakeholders to address this serious issue.
As you note, the Commission under my predecessor launched the PROTECTS Initiative
as a first step to address this problem. Under that initiative, the United States wireless industry,
in association with CTIA, began to participate in the GSM Association database of stolen
phones. And you are also correct that one country working alone cannot combat and solve this
problem. The more nations that participate, the more effective the database will become. The
Commission will continue to call upon all countries to adopt the database and enact other
measures to make the effort even more effective regionally and globally.
To that end, I appreciate your recognition of the bilateral agreement reached with Mexico
in February 2012. The participation of Mexican operators in the GSMA database is a strong step
in the right direction for improving the effectiveness of the database, especially given the cross-
border trafficking of stolen phones, as you noted. The Commission currently is in discussions
with the government of Columbia for bilateral agreements to further strengthen international
efforts.
We have also advocated for regional support within the Inter-American
Telecommunication Commission (CITEL), where the FCC's International Bureau routinely
updates member states of U.S. activities in this area, and offers support and alliance to other
member nations. CITEL's leadership in combating handset theft is vital as it encourages
member nations to join together regionally to work with databases like the GSMA, and to
consider appropriate regulatory measures as well as consumer outreach initiatives.
In addition, in July 2013, the Commission participated in a regional conference in
Panama with Caribbean and Central American nations where the issue of stolen phones was part
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of the larger agenda for the event. In October 2012, the Commission represented the U.S. at a
regional forum in Bogota, Columbia, dedicated exclusively to discussion of stolen phone issues.
The Commission also has held discussions with the Body of European Regulators and the United
Kingdom regulator, OFCOM. We also have learned through our relationship with the Canadian
Wireless Association that Canadian consumers purchasing a resold device have the ability to
verify if the device's International Mobile Station Equipment Identity (IMEI) number has been
registered as lost or stolen. This is a feature that we will consider for U.S. consumers as part of
our ongoing follow-up of the PROTECTS Initiative.
I thank you again for raising the importance of international coordination in addressing
this issue. The Commission will continue multinational efforts so that our consumers can be
protected. Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance.