Sen Patrick Leahy (D-VT)

Sen Patrick Leahy (D-VT), joined by six other Sens, introduced comprehensive consumer privacy legislation to protect Americans’ sensitive personal information against cyberattacks and to ensure timely notification and protection when data is breached. Sen Leahy’s Consumer Privacy Protection Act of 2017 would require companies to take preventive steps to defend against cyberattacks and data breaches, and to quickly provide consumers with notice and appropriate protection when a data breach occurs.

President Barack Obama will sign into law the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act, and in doing so, will achieve a rare trifecta: a win for American consumers, a win for wireless competition, and an example of democracy at its best -- bipartisan congressional action in direct response to a call to action from the American people.

As long as their phone is compatible and they have complied with their contracts, consumers will now be able to enjoy the freedom of taking their mobile service -- and a phone they already own -- to the carrier that best fits their needs.

[Zients is Director of the National Economic Council and Assistant to the President for Economic Policy]

[Commentary] The Internet needs concrete, fundamental protections to ensure that it is not abused by those with the power to do so. That is why I was gravely disappointed when the DC Court of Appeals struck down the Federal Communications Commission's 2010 open Internet rules and why in the Senate, I am fighting to protect a free and open Internet.

Open Internet principles are the Bill of Rights for the online world. We should not allow an Internet that is divided into "haves" and "have-nots," where those who can afford to pay drown out the voices of those who cannot.

The FCC is now considering how best to restore open Internet protections. Since FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler began a proceeding to consider new open Internet rules, nearly 300,000 Americans have commented on his proposal.

The message is loud and clear: Americans want an Internet that is a platform for free expression and innovation, and where the best ideas and services can reach consumers based on merit rather than on money.

[Sen Leahy is Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee]