US Senate repeals broadband privacy rules

Washington, March 24: The US Senate on Thursday voted narrowly to repeal regulations requiring Internet service providers to do more to protect customers’ privacy than websites like Alphabet’s Google or Facebook.

The vote was along party lines, with 50 Republicans approving the measure and 48 Democrats rejecting it. The two remaining Republicans in the Senate were absent and did not cast a vote.

According to the rules approved by the Federal Communications Commission in October under then-President Barack Obama, Internet providers would need to obtain consumer consent before using precise geolocation, financial information, health information, children’s information and web browsing history for advertising and internal marketing.

The vote was a victory for Internet providers such as AT&T, Comcast and Verizon, which had strongly opposed the rules.

The bill next goes to the US House of Representatives, but it was not clear when they would take up the measure.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate was overturning a regulation that “makes the Internet an uneven playing field, increases complexity, discourages competition, innovation, and infrastructure investment”. But, Democratic Senator Ed Markey said, “Republicans have just made it easier for American’s sensitive information about their health, finances and families to be used, shared, and sold to the highest bidder without their permission.”

FCC chairman Ajit Pai said consumers would have privacy protections even without the Obama administration internet provider rules.