July 21, 2008
The Honorable John D. Dingell, Chairman
Committee on Energy and Commerce
2125 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Joe Barton, Ranking Member
Committee on Energy and Commerce
2322A Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Edward J. Markey, Chairman
Committee on Telecommunications and the Internet
316 Ford House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairman Dingell, Ranking Member Barton and Chairman Markey:
This will respond on behalf of Embarq to your letter of July 14, 2008, regarding online
customer preference advertising. Embarq appreciates the opportunity to provide the Committee
with information on this topic.
Introduction
Online customer preference advertising, sometimes called contextual or behavioral
advertising, is a multifaceted industry developed around a simple principle: empowering
individual and business internet users by making their experience more accessible and relevant.
The customized experience made possible by customer preference advertising is based on the
opportunity for online users to receive relevant and often localized messages instead of random,
generic and often irrelevant or distracting advertisements that customers otherwise experience
online.
Contrary to much of the discussion surrounding this issue, customer preference
advertising, at least as briefly tested by Embarq, does not involve keeping “profiles” on
customers, reading the contents of their confidential communications, or utilizing any personally
David W. Zesiger
Senior Vice President
Regulatory Policy & External
Affairs
Honorable John D. Dingell, Joe Barton, Edward J. Markey
July 21, 2008
Page 2
identifying information about a customer. In addition, customer preference advertising supports
the provision of services to online customers at free or reduced rates, much as television or print
advertising helps to support the provision of those services to the public.
Test: Brief and Small Scale
While the customer benefits from online