Former Google Exec to Cyber Office, Verizon Urges Action on USF, T-Mobile Settles Data Breach Suits
Former Google executive Camille Gloster has been appointed by the White House to its Office of the National Cyber Director.
Teralyn Whipple
July 26, 2022 – The White House announced Monday that former Google executive Camille Gloster will be the deputy national cyber director for technology and ecosystem security at the Office of the National Cyber Director.
In this role, Gloster will lead the ONCD’s efforts to strengthen the security and development of the United State’s cyber ecosystem, said the press release.
The office was established by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021.
“We need top talent in the government to meet the dynamic and complex cyber challenges we face as a nation,” said National Cyber Director Chris Inglis in a statement. “[Gloster] is a pioneer who has led on cyber issues for more than a decade at the highest levels of government and industry.”
Gloster previously worked at Google where she most recently served as Global Head of Product Security Strategy. She also served under the Obama-Biden Administration as a senior cyber policy advisor at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Her appointment follows an announcement from the White House in May that committed to expanding the bureau with three new senior hires.
Verizon urges FCC to extend Affordable Connectivity Program
Verizon urged the Federal Communications Commission in a meeting to recommend that Congress appropriate additional funds to extend the Affordable Connectivity Program after the original funds are expended, according to a July 21 post-meeting letter.
The company urged the FCC to explain to Congress that broadband adoption is a “long-term challenge” that will require ACP support beyond the originally allocated period.
ACP supports the FCC’s permanent program, Lifeline, to support affordable access to broadband internet for low-income households. In its letter, Verizon commended the Lifeline program as continuing to serve a “distinct and important role.”
Verizon also urged the commission to recommend to Congress the extension of the universal service funding model that was established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The model supplements the support provided by carrier contributions to the fund with appropriations for the ACP and other new programs.
Verizon called for a broader base of contributors to the fund and suggested that Congress make clear that the FCC has authority to expand the universal service contributor base, which relies on dwindling voice service revenues.
T-Mobile agrees to pay $350 million to settle class-action lawsuits for data breach
T-Mobile agreed Friday to pay $350 million to settle multiple class-action lawsuits over a data breach disclosed in August in which a hacker stole sensitive data of millions of customers.
The proposed settlement remains subject to preliminary and final court approval, expected as early as December 2022. If approved by the court, T-Mobile would also commit to spend an additional $150 million for data security and related technology in 2022 and 2023.
The company anticipates that upon court approval, the settlement will release a list of all claims arising from the cyberattack.
“The settlement contains no admission of liability, wrongdoing or responsibility by any of the defendants,” stated T-Mobile in the Securities and Exchange Commission filling Friday.
T-Mobile issued a statement about the settlement on its website, “As we continue to invest time, energy, and resources in addressing this challenge, we are pleased to have resolved this consumer class action filing.”
The data breach did not expose any customer financial information but some SSN, names, addresses, dates of birth and ID information were compromised, stated the company.
