March 31, 2017
In an op-ed published recently in Axios, USTelecom President Jonathan Spalter focused on how consumers’ privacy will not be affected by the recent congressional decision to block the FCC’s implementation of new online privacy rules which were rushed through during the final days of former chairman Tom Wheeler’s tenure.
Congress did not vote down consumer privacy protections. It simply rejected an attempt to create a disjointed, separate and unequal regulatory regime. Lawmakers were right to take this stand for better public policy, and consumers are better off for it.
In the piece, Spalter shares five reasons why consumers should not be alarmed by the recent rejection of FCC privacy rules decided by Congress this week:
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- Your most sensitive data—financial, Social Security, about your kids—remains fully protected.
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- No one is buying anyone’s individual browser history and putting it online.
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- Your browser history is already being aggregated and sold to advertising networks—by virtually very site you visit on the internet.
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- Consumers expect and deserve one standard for online privacy.
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- This action makes way for a unified approach.