Alabama Official Further Explains Mishandling of Proprietary Inmate Calling Data
An Alabama Public Service Commission official said he was working solo and "in a hurry" when he mishandled proprietary company data in the inmate calling service proceeding, but he denied the ICS breach would benefit competitors. Darrell Baker, director of…
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the Alabama PSC Utility Services Division, said he had labeled the proprietary version of a filing as proprietary but submitted it “through the wrong channel,” resulting in its brief, inadvertent release through the FCC’s electronic comment filing system. “To be frank, I am the only one here that has provided any input into this proceeding. Additionally, we have zero clerical staff. Everything I did was on my own. I did all the writing,” Baker said in an email posted in docket 12-375 Friday, responding to a Sept. 21 email from an FCC Wireline Bureau official noting a bureau order that barred Baker from participating in the ICS proceeding until further notice (see 1509220007). “I got into a hurry, assumed I knew the correct filing procedures which I should have researched before submitting. I learned the hard way and submitted the follow up proprietary Ex Parte using the correct procedures.” Baker said the proprietary data itself wasn't released in his filing, only averaged and aggregated data. “I realize it is still proprietary data and was handled incorrectly but there was nothing in that Ex Parte that could benefit a competitor,” he said. Responding in July to Global Tel*Link's request that the FCC sanction him and the PSC for the breach, Baker had previously pleaded ignorance of the rules and apologized for his mistake (see 1507200030).