CPNI: t-mobile opt-out

In January, I wrote about 3rd party billing of non-regulated charges and compiled a little list of "services" (not in the customer's interest) of which I had to manually opt-out. The last item on the list was Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI) disclosure...

The starting point in the opt-out process was the Opt Out of Releasing CPNI Guide compiled by Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. For my landline, I used the number for SBC and was able to opt-out pretty easily. What about my mobile phone though? There wasn't any listing for t-mobile on the guide. (I'm going to contribute some information to the site shortly).

I decided to call t-mobile customer service (611) to ask about CPNI in general, and how to opt-out of its disclosure. The rep I spoke to had no idea what I was talking about.. After explaining what CPNI was, she put me on with a supervisor. The supervisor didn't know about CPNI either. Once I explained it to her, she thought the best/only course of action would be to consult the online privacy statement and see if there were any hints about CPNI. There aren't.

The next step was to contact the privacy department and ask them how to opt-out. I sent the following email:

To:  privacy@t-mobile.com
Subject:  Customer Proprietary Network
Information (CPNI)
Date:  6 Jan 2006 19:29:18 -0000
Hi,

I contacted the customer support department
about opting out of CPNI and they directed me
to you.  The person I spoke with had no idea
what CPNI was nor how to opt out of its
disclosure.  This is the purpose of this email. 
Please let me know what I am supposed to do to
opt-out of Customer Proprietary Network
Information (CPNI) disclosure.  Please reply to
this email and let me know the appropriate
steps.  I hope that you realize that CPNI is
different from the do not call list, to which I
am already subscribed.

Also, the privacy policy to which I was
referred by the customer service representative
applies "when you access or use any of our
services via the Internet or through any
wireless device that allows Internet access.
This Notice does not apply to information that
may be collected offline."  CPNI is not related
to online/internet information and I would like
to know where I can find a copy of the privacy
policy which relates to offline information.

The action items from this email for you are:
1) How do I opt-out of CPNI disclosure? If I am
supposedly already opted out, please provide
proof of said opt-out.
2) Where can I find the privacy policy for
offline information?

-Matt
n. Matthew Fleming
m. 312-XXX-XXXX

I received no response from this email. So I sent it again one month later, and again the month after that, and again the month after that. I actually was just about to send it again this month but got a reply from t-mobile before I did.

From:  Privacy@T-Mobile.com
To:  Matthew Fleming
Sorry for the delay in responding to your email
to the T-Mobile Privacy mailbox.  Please note
that we have updated our record pursuant to your
request.  

T-Mobile Privacy 

Ok great, what does that mean? I am off the list then? So this is how someone is supposed to opt out of CPNI disclosure? I sent them these questions and received a response (almost immediately)

From:  Privacy@T-Mobile.com
To:  Matthew Fleming
That is correct, in the future you can control
your communications preferences through your
account on our website at www.t-mobile.com or
via a call into our Customer Care organization.  

T-Mobile Privacy 

T-mobile doesn't really make CPNI opt-out all that easy. I filed a complaint with the FCC (96-115 should already by filled in box #1) telling them about my problems opting out. Hopefully, something will happen because of it. If we don't complain, how will this ever change?