Week ahead: New GOP push on internet privacy

Lawmakers could be looking at a new fight over internet privacy, as they return to Washington after their weeklong Memorial Day recess.

In the House, Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) is moving to build support for an internet privacy bill she introduced last month.

The bill comes after Blackburn and Republicans spearheaded efforts to kill the Federal Communications Commission’s own privacy rules for broadband providers.

Those FCC rules would have given consumers greater say over what internet service providers can do with their personal data. Broadband providers would have been required to get their customers’ permission before using sensitive data for advertising purposes.

Republicans and the broadband industry opposed the rules because they applied to internet providers like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon, but not internet websites like Facebook and Google that account for most of the web’s data-driven advertising.

{mosads}Congressional Republicans passed legislation, signed by President Trump, repealing those rules, despite a public outcry from privacy advocates and consumer groups.

Now Blackburn is looking to revisit the issue, with legislation that would apply those privacy rules to both broadband providers as well as web companies.

But so far her bill is winning few supporters, with most stakeholders in the internet privacy fight being slow to take a stance.

Bob Quinn, AT&T’s top lobbyist, said at an event Wednesday called it “the first draft of the bill.” “We’ll see where it all goes,” he added, according to Axios.

The Internet Association, a top lobbying group for Silicon Valley web companies like Facebook and Google, has also shown little enthusiasm.

“This bill has the potential to upend the consumer experience online and stifle innovation,” spokesman Noah Theran said in a statement last month. “Policymakers must recognize that websites and apps continue to be under strict FTC [Federal Trade Commission] privacy enforcement and are not in an enforcement gap, unlike other stakeholders in the ecosystem.”

Blackburn is making a push and all eyes will be on how successful she is in picking up Republican support.

The Senate will be returning Monday with the House following suit on Tuesday, and lawmakers have a number of hearings that will have the tech world’s attention.

The Senate Commerce Committee is holding a hearing on David Redl’s nomination to be Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information at the Department of Commerce on Thursday at 10:00 a.m.

If confirmed, Redl will be in charge of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and serve as President Trump’s top telecom adviser.

The post is growing in significance as Washington weighs how to expand the nation’s broadband infrastructure.

Trump mentioned broadband buildout in his fiscal 2018 budget proposal, as part of infrastructure spending. But he didn’t specify how much money he would allocate to broadband.

Redl is currently chief counsel at House Committee on Energy and Commerce, advising Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and panel Republicans on communications and technology matters. He was previously a registered lobbyist and director of regulatory affairs at CTIA, a trade association representing wireless companies including AT&T, Dish and Verizon.

In a questionnaire for the Senate Commerce Committee, Redl said he sees the top three challenges facing the NTIA as maximizing how agencies effectively use spectrum, improving broadband reliability – particularly in rural places, and better addressing the needs of the U.S. digital economy.

On Wednesday, he’ll have the chance to tell lawmakers more about his plans.

The House has a busier schedule regarding tech matters.

On Thursday, the House will be holding five hearings on tech issues — with four being held at the same time.

The Energy and Commerce Committee will host a hearing at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday on financial technology as a part of its Disruptors Series, which looks at how emerging technologies are shaking up industries.

At the same time, the Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing on virtual currencies and their national security implications. The hearing comes as cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin, hit all-time high valuations.

Also at 10 a.m., the Committee on House Administration will hold a hearing on the Library of Congress’s “Information Technology Management.” Lawmakers will hear from Dr. Carla D. Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, as well as the library’s chief information officer, Bernard Barton, Jr.

A fourth hearing Thursday at 10 a.m. will take look at healthcare cybersecurity. The Energy and Commerce committee will look at the role of the Department of Health and Human Services in protecting medical data in the wake of the WannaCry ransomware attacks which crippled many hospitals in Europe, particularly Britain’s National Health Service.

Later on Thursday at 2:00 p.m., the House Appropriations Committee will have a budget hearing on NASA.

Recent stories:

FCC to consider allowing law enforcement to see blocked caller IDs

Female Tesla employee who filed discrimination suit fired: report

Tech world blasts withdrawal from Paris agreement

Trump Paris fallout: Elon Musk steps down from WH councils

Social media companies doubled hate speech removal: EU report

Supreme Court ruling loosens tech’s grip on consumers

Democrats ask FBI to probe reported FCC cyberattack

LinkedIn founder: Trump is ‘breaking our alliances and global leadership’

Social media fights back against fake news