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posted by cmn32480 on Thursday November 02 2017, @07:31PM   Printer-friendly
from the fire-up-the-VPN dept.

Submitted via IRC for SoyCow1

Verizon was one of several giant ISPs that paid lobbied the GOP and Trump administration to gut consumer broadband privacy rules earlier this year. Lawmakers admitted they utilized the public's focus on losing health care to quickly dismantle the rules, which would have required ISPs be more transparent about what personal data is collected and sold, and provide working opt out tools for those interested in privacy. The rules were crafted after Verizon was caught covertly tracking users around the internet and AT&T tried to make privacy a luxury option for an additional fee.

After killing the rules, numerous states came forth with their own privacy proposals, and ISP lobbyists have been busy trying to kill those, as well.

Lobbyists for Google, Verizon, Comcast and AT&T collectively killed one such proposal in California, after falsely telling lawmakers the new law would embolden nazis, increase pop ups, and harm consumers. Now Verizon is taking things one step further, by lobbying the FCC to step in and prevent states from protecting consumer privacy.

In a letter and white paper sent last week to the FCC (pdf), Verizon insists the FCC has ample authority to pre-empt state efforts to protect consumer privacy, and should act to prevent states from doing so.

"Allowing every State and locality to chart its own course for regulating broadband is a recipe for disaster," cries Verizon. "It would impose localized and likely inconsistent burdens on an inherently interstate service, would drive up costs, and would frustrate federal efforts to encourage investment and deployment by restoring the free market that long characterized Internet access service."

Source: http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Verizon-Wants-FCC-to-Ban-States-From-Protecting-Your-Privacy-140625


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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by The Mighty Buzzard on Thursday November 02 2017, @09:42PM (2 children)

    by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Thursday November 02 2017, @09:42PM (#591370) Homepage Journal

    The ISPs are at least arguably correct. The Internet is most definitely interstate by its very nature and the feds have legitimate claim on regulating interstate commerce.

    They're also arguably incorrect though. My ISP and its upstream connections are all state-local. The only interstate thing about it is the data and that's not what I'm paying for from my ISP; I'm renting their tubes.

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    My rights don't end where your fear begins.
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  • (Score: 2) by https on Friday November 03 2017, @05:27AM (1 child)

    by https (5248) on Friday November 03 2017, @05:27AM (#591548) Journal

    Your second point is the relevant and correct one. The first is a red herring that they'll cream their shorts if they can get you to believe.

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    • (Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday November 03 2017, @09:36AM

      by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Friday November 03 2017, @09:36AM (#591603) Homepage Journal

      My ISP is somewhat unique like that. Yours is most likely not and there would be no arguing that your commerce was entirely local. Like it or don't, the feds really are legally justified in regulating interstate commerce.

      --
      My rights don't end where your fear begins.