T-Mobile Reaches $31.5 Million Settlement Over Data Breaches

T-Mobile has agreed to a $31.5 million settlement with the FCC over multiple data breaches affecting millions. The telecom giant will pay a civil penalty and enhance its cybersecurity over two years. The breaches, spanning 2021 to 2023, impacted current, former, and prospective customers.

T-Mobile has struck a $31.5 million settlement deal with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to resolve a series of data breaches over three years, impacting tens of millions of U.S. consumers. The telecom giant will pay a $15.75 million civil penalty and commit another $15.75 million to bolster its cybersecurity measures.

The breaches occurred in 2021, 2022, and 2023, with the 2021 breach alone affecting 76.6 million U.S. consumers. T-Mobile, the third-largest wireless carrier in the nation, will address security flaws and modernize its cyber defenses, including zero trust architectures and phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel emphasized the need for telecom providers to strengthen their systems against cyber threats. T-Mobile has not immediately commented on the settlement. Earlier, AT&T and Verizon's TracFone Wireless also faced FCC penalties for data breaches impacting millions of customers.

(With inputs from agencies.)