FCC Privacy Rules Rollback Brings Quick Response from States, Lawmakers

Even before President Donald Trump signed into law the resolution rolling back the Federal Communication Commission’s broadband privacy rules on April 3, the headlines were blaring consumer privacy alarms claiming internet companies can now “collect and sell consumer data.” The resolution, which passed almost completely down party lines in the Senate and the House of Representatives last month, not only scrapped the privacy and data security regulations for broadband internet service providers adopted by the FCC in the last months of the Obama administration before they could take effect, but the resolution also effectively bars the FCC from attempting to enact similar regulations in the future.

This article addresses the rollback of broadband privacy rules, the steps several states are taking to protect consumer privacy and the need for the FCC and FTC to work transparently and provide clarification as the federal government moves forward to develop new privacy protection framework under the FTC.