Chief of the Federal Communications Commission’s Bureau of Enforcement Travis LeBlanc ’99 discussed the necessity of privacy and consumer protections in a lecture and Q&A session on Wednesday afternoon.
LeBlanc’s talk underscored the need for both preventative and enforcement measures against violations of rights for American consumers online and in telecommunications. He proceeded to explain how he addresses those issues in his capacity as FCC Enforcement Bureau chief and clarified the misconceptions surrounding the role of the FCC in the eyes of Americans.
“Most people… if you were to ask them what they knew about the FCC, they would probably say something along the lines of Janet Jackson at the Super Bowl. They thought of the FCC as an agency that dealt with indecency,” LeBlanc said. “And really what the FCC does is regulate, essentially, the industries of broadcast television, radio, telephones, both landline and wireless, cable, satellite, and now Internet Service Providers, or ISPs.”
Following his description of the roles of the FCC, LeBlanc then identified and explained some of the most prominent issues consumers today face surrounding privacy and protections in telecommunications.
“The risk of privacy today, and personal data, given how much we all use our electronic devices is not just financial harm. It’s not just that someone is going to steal your credit card information and go out and run up a bill,” he noted. “The risk is really to your personal reputation, and there are dignitary harms that people now really do risk in these privacy and security breaches.”
LeBlanc drew on examples from his work, including cases he has pursued against ISPs regarding issues such as cramming and limiting net neutrality in order to emphasize the dangers to consumers’ privacy and rights in the telecommunications arena.
The discussion drew a sizable audience which consisted of both University undergraduates and listeners from outside the University community. Immediately following the lecture, LeBlanc entertained questions from the audience regarding the FCC’s responsibilities in protecting consumer rights in telecommunications.
“We at the Enforcement Bureau should be focused on the issues that matter most to American consumers in the 21st century. Every time we take any action, we should ask ourselves ‘How are we protecting customers? How are we safeguarding competition? How are we securing critical communications infrastructure? How are we policing the integrity of our programs from fraud, waste, and abuse? How are we going to work to prevent companies from engaging in unlawful activity, not just respond after the fact, after they’ve done it?” he explained.
LeBlanc’s lecture was well-received by its attendees.
“I enjoyed it,” Nick Sileo ’20 said. “It was insightful, thoughtful, and interesting to think about.”
Prior to shifting the focus of his talk to the subjects of privacy and consumer protections and the way in which the FCC addresses these issues, LeBlanc briefly chronicled his journey from living in a single-parent household in New Orleans to obtaining degrees from Princeton, Yale, Harvard, and Cambridge University. LeBlanc then gave a short overview of his work as a lawyer at the federal and state levels with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel and as Special Assistant Attorney General of California, respectively.
The lecture was held Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. in the Whig Hall Senate Chamber as part of the Whig-Clio Speaker Series. It was co-sponsored by the University’s Program in Law & Public Affairs.
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