Sen. Edward J. Markey, Public Interest Groups Oppose Congressional Plan to Kill Privacy Protections for Internet service customers, announces Consumer Watchdog and other special interest groups

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 23, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

What: Sen. Edward J. Markey and representatives from five public interest groups will speak in opposition to Congressional plans to use the Congressional Review Act  (CRA)to overturn privacy rules enacted last fall.

Who:
Sen. Edward J. Markey, (D-MA)
Dallas Harris, Public Knowledge, Policy Fellow
Gaurav Laroia, Free Press, Policy Counsel
Anika Collier Navaroli, Color of Change, Senior Campaign Manager, Media & Economic Justice
Neema Singh Guliani, ACLU, Legislative Counsel
Katie McInnis, Consumers Union, Staff Attorney
When: 12:30 pm ET (9:30 am PT), Monday, February 27, 2017

Instructions for call:
Dial-in-number: 1-800-247-5110
Passcode: 9777

Congressional Republicans are workng to overturn the recently enacted Federal Communications Commission's privacy rule protecting the personal information of broadband Internet service customers via the Congressional Review Act (CRA). The rule sets limits on what Internet service providers, like Comcast, Verizon and Frontier, may do with the highly sensitive data that they collect in the course of providing Internet service.

If a measure is passed under the CRA, it would not only kill the new FCC rule, which gives consumers control of how data about them can be used and shared by the ISP, but also eliminate the possibility of enacting any new FCC rules covering ISP privacy protections.

ISPs have unique insight into their users' online activity.  Consumers must have the right to protect their data.  Killing the FCC privacy rule with a CRA would open up an unregulated Wild West where consumers would have no defense against abusive invasions of their privacy by their Internet service provider.  No new FCC privacy rule covering ISPs could be enacted.

CONTACT:
Center for Digital Democracy's Policy Director Katharina Kopp, 202-836-4621
Consumer Watchdog Advocate John M. Simpson, 310-292-1902

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sen-edward-j-markey-public-interest-groups-oppose-congressional-plan-to-kill-privacy-protections-for-internet-service-customers-announces-consumer-watchdog-and-other-special-interest-groups-300412685.html

SOURCE Consumer Watchdog

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]