Washington (February 16, 2017) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, released the following statement about efforts to undo the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) broadband privacy rules by utilizing the Congressional Review Act. In 2015 the FCC reclassified broadband as a telecommunications service under Title II of the Communications Act and adopted rules to protect the open internet. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld this reclassification in June 2016. As part of reclassification, the FCC chose to apply Section 222 of Title II to broadband, extending the duty to protect the privacy of information that internet service providers (ISP) collect about their customers by virtue of the carrier-customer relationship.  In July 2015, Senator Markey led a letter with other Senators urging the FCC to finalize the broadband privacy rules.

“Big broadband companies want to mine and sell consumers’ most sensitive personal information without any consent. Overturning broadband privacy protections is nothing more than Big Broadband’s way of pumping up its profits and undermining consumer rights. Without the FCC’s broadband privacy rule, broadband providers will be able to sell dossiers of the personal and professional lives of their subscribers to the highest bidder without their consent. I will oppose any efforts to roll back important broadband privacy rules either by Congress or at the FCC.”