Republican Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona filed a resolution on Tuesday to repeal a set of rules approved last October by the FCC that protect consumer information from internet service providers and third parties.
The motion had the support of 21 Republican Representatives, and the Senate is currently reviewing it. This action follows FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s efforts last week to halt a new guideline that would make your data more secure.
The Commission has been a controversial government entity even during the Obama era, in which Tom Wheeler held the top seat and spearheaded a revolution to protect consumers and respect their privacy on and offline.
Which are the rules the FCC wants to repeal?
Ultimately, the new FCC intends to create a more competitive environment for companies to foster innovation and a more dynamic service market. For this to happen, there needs to be less regulation, according to their vision.
Chairman Ajit Pai and other Republican commissioners sat on the table back when Wheeler called the shots and saw their votes not make any difference when it came to passing new laws.
Now, the new chief of the FCC wants to dismantle the legacy of the old Commission starting backward. The most recent rules to come into effect were October’s set of guidelines, which forced service providers to notify users when they used or shared their information.
Companies had to send a notice to consumers about their intentions, and they were also required to let people opt in or out of certain services like newsletters that relied on personal information storage and use.
In the end, the new FCC may end up repelling even 2015’s net neutrality act, a groundbreaking document that reclassified the internet as a utility in the U.S. and subjected it to regulation under the Commission.
Why does the FCC want to kill online privacy?
Letting go of the grip that they have on broadband companies, mobile carriers, and other service providers would mean these firms get to use people’s information for commercial purposes.
Consumers may start to see a more aggressive approach from the companies they’re subscribed to, which could, in turn, begin targeting them with the dedicated advertisement based on collected data.
Republicans in Congress are relying on the Congressional Review Act to kill the old rules, but luckily this process takes a while and Democrats are fighting it tooth and nail.
Almost every major tech company with a finger dipped into online services could benefit from these changes, but overturning regulations currently in place could also bring back old practices like data caps and throttling to your connected devices.
Source: CNET