Senators will meet in the coming week to discuss the Federal Communications Commission’s proposed privacy rules for broadband internet providers and the impact they could have on consumers and competition in the marketplace.
Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, called the Tuesday hearing to take a closer looks at the draft regulations, which bar companies from using customers’ data without first obtaining permission and create standards for how companies are to protect consumer data.
Under the draft rules, a customer would have to give permission unless the company needs the data to deliver services or market other broadband packages to that customer.
{mosads}Companies would also be able to share information with affiliated companies to help them market other services unless the customer explicitly opts out.
The rules have received push back from industry groups, which argued that all Internet providers and online services should be required to follow the same rules. Google and Facebook are now under the Federal Trade Commission’s purview.
The American Cable Association urged FCC this week to refrain from adopting its proposed rules, calling them “unwarranted.”
“The FCC’s proposed rules would needlessly increase costs and burdens for broadband providers, particularly smaller ones, with little to no consumer benefit, including because they fail to cover all actors in the Internet ecosystem,” Matthew Polka, the group’s president and CEO, said in a statement. “To avoid these problems, the FCC should harmonize any rules with the FTC’s (Federal Trade Commission’s) more flexible and less onerous approach, which apply to all actors alike and has produced demonstrable benefits for consumers for decades.”
Polka is expected to testify at Tuesday’s hearing.
In other news, the House Judiciary Committee will grill Attorney General Loretta Lynch on Tuesday during what’s expected to be a contentious oversight hearing. http://bit.ly/29uxW56
It’s just one of a slew of hearings Republicans are holding after the FBI’s decision to not recommend charges against Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email server as secretary of State.
The decision angered Republicans, who also had FBI Director James Comey testify before the House Oversight Committee on Thursday in a nearly five-hour hearing.
Expect the GOP to grill Lynch on her controversial private meeting with President Bill Clinton just days before the FBI decision. Lynch has said that they did not discuss the Hillary Clinton probe.
Also on Tuesday, the House task force on executive overreach will hold a hearing on infrastructure regulations. http://bit.ly/29saqHJ
The House Agriculture Committee will hold a hearing Wednesday to examine the proposed automated trading rules from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). http://bit.ly/29E3bZJ
Also on Wednesday, a Senate Judiciary subcommittee will hold a hearing on the risks and benefits of medical marijuana. http://bit.ly/29AqfZf
On Thursday, the Senate Education Committee will hold a hearing to examine proposed education regulations from the Obama administration. http://bit.ly/29CdIHQ
Recent stories
Obama toughens Arctic drilling rules. http://bit.ly/29quIhM
Senate passes GMO food labeling bill. http://bit.ly/29pnKXT
GMO protesters drop $2,000 on Senate floor. http://bit.ly/29p2Kla
Airlines vie for Cuba flights. http://bit.ly/29k9mjE
Manufacturers sue OSHA over workplace rule. http://bit.ly/29AwayZ
Groups sue EPA over air pollution standards. http://bit.ly/29tv5a9
Court: Officials can’t use private email to evade records laws. http://bit.ly/29ruFTT
Fight erupts in Congress over school lunch money. http://bit.ly/29fpCSG