CEI Praises Trump Signature of Broadband Privacy Rule Repeal

President Trump signed a Congressional Review Act resolution yesterday repealing the Federal Communications Commission’s broadband privacy rule. The FCC’s privacy rule, adopted by the agency in October 2016, regulates broadband providers’ data security practices and dictates how providers like Comcast and Verizon must obtain consent from their subscribers before collecting or disclosing user information. The Competitive Enterprise Institute supported the CRA through the Senate and House of Representatives, and is pleased to see President Trump affirm the proper authority of the FCC by repealing this rule. 

As CEI Research Fellow and Regulatory Counsel Ryan Radia said:

“The FCC erred in imposing uniquely rigid requirements on broadband companies’ information collection practices, especially given the lack of any evidence that consumers have been harmed by inadequate data security. Much of the debate surrounding this rule centers on the fear that consumers will have no privacy protection if the president signs the resolution. But these fears are based on a myopic understanding of the numerous laws, regulations, and institutions that protect our privacy on the Internet other than the FCC’s burdensome, legally questionable privacy rule.”

See more from CEI and Ryan Radia on broadband privacy:

• Six Reasons FCC Rules Aren’t Needed to Protect Privacy
• Broadband Privacy Regulations Need to Be Revised by FCC or Repealed by Congress
• FCC Stay of Privacy Rule Prevents Irreparable Injury to Businesses and Consumers
• CEI Joins Coalition Letter Supporting CRA to Disapprove Broadband Privacy Rule
• CEI Joins Coalition Letter Asking Congress to Rescind FCC Privacy Rules
• New Congress Needs to Modernize Tech Policy
• CEI Comments to FCC on Broadband Privacy Order