Supreme Court Upholds FCC's Authority to Fine Telecom Companies Over Data Privacy
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in a case involving major telecom companies AT&T and Verizon. The court's 8-1 decision supports the FCC's authority to impose fines on these companies for failing to protect customer data privacy. The case centered on the FCC's in-house proceedings for levying fines, which AT&T and Verizon argued violated their constitutional right to a jury trial. The ruling, authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, maintains that the FCC's process does not prevent companies from challenging fines in court. Justice Clarence Thomas dissented, criticizing the decision as unfair to the companies. The FCC had fined AT&T $57 million and Verizon $47 million for allegedly selling customer location data without consent. 
