Senators Prepare to Kill Broadband Privacy Protections

SPs and the politicians that love them are wasting no time in killing broadband consumer privacy protections. The rules were passed by the FCC last year, and while the broadband sector engaged in a lot of pearl-clutching about over the restrictions they're relatively basic -- requiring that ISPs inform broadband customers what's being collected, who it's being sold to, with the option to opt out if desired. In a few instances, the rules require users opt in to more personal data collection.

The rules are useful for broadband customers that, unlike services from Google and Facebook, often can't protest bad privacy practices by switching ISPs due to a lack of competition.
But companies like Verizon see the rules as an impediment to their attempt to pivot into advertising to Millennials.

To that end, large ISPs have pressured Senators Jeff Flake and Marsha Blackburn to support a resolution that will roll back the FCC’s broadband privacy rules via the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to eliminate agency rules (if they were passed relatively recently) with a simple majority vote.

ISPs have tried to argue that the consumer protections would "confuse" consumers.

"Amongst other flaws, the FCC Order would create confusion and interfere with the ability of consumers to receive customized services and capabilities they enjoy and be informed of new products and discount offers," telecom lobbying groups proclaimed in a letter from January. "Further, the Order would also result in consumers being bombarded with trivial data breach notifications."

https://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Senators-Prepare-to-Kill-Broadband-Privacy-Protections-138967