Congress Moves to Strike Internet Privacy Rules From Obama Era -

Congress Moves to Strike Internet Privacy Rules From Obama Era -
By CECILIA KANGMARCH 23, 2017
WASHINGTON — Republican senators moved Thursday to dismantle landmark internet privacy protections for consumers in the first decisive strike against telecommunications
and technology regulations created during the Obama administration, and a harbinger of further deregulation.
Under the internet privacy rules that Mr. Wheeler passed, apart from broadband providers having to ask permission to track browsing
and other online activities of a user, the companies were also required to use “reasonable measures” to secure consumer data against hackers.
That’s not a lot to ask.”
The privacy rules were created in October by the Federal Communications Commission, and the brisk action of Congressional Republicans, just two months into Mr. Trump’s administration, foreshadowed a broader rollback of tech and telecom policies
that have drawn the ire of conservative lawmakers and companies like AT&T, Verizon and Charter.
rules that deny consumers consistent privacy protection online
and violate competitive neutrality,” the cable industry lobby group, NCTA-The Internet & Television Association, said in a statement on Thursday.
That move acknowledged the importance of the internet for communications, education, work
and commerce and the need to protect online users, Mr. Wheeler had said.