Wednesday, March 29, 2017

It'll be good for you, just wait and see.


The FCC pursued broadband privacy rules after companies like Verizon got caught covertly modifying packets to track users around the internet, and companies like AT&T and Comcast began exploring forcing users to pay more for privacy. Other ISPs, like CableOne, have crowed about using financial data to provide poor customers with even worse customer service. 
But thanks to incumbent campaign contributions, it was apparently an easy trick for ISP lobbyists to convince lawmakers that the rules were "burdensome regulations" and not necessary consumer protections. ISP lobbyists had told many Representatives that this was just a power grab by the FCC, and the FTC has ample authority to police consumer privacy issues (it wasn't, and it doesn't). In fact, most ISPs have already made it clear they intent to use the common carrier exemptions carved out by AT&T lobbyists to dodge FTC oversight anyway.
The Competitive Enterprise Institute has six utterly bogus ways you can feel better about this particular screw-over.

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