Sen Warren pushes for strong Internet provider privacy rules

Sen Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) threw her support behind strong Federal Communications Commission privacy rules for Internet service providers.“I ask that the Commission move quickly to finalize its rules for this sector,” she said in a letter. “The absence of clear and strong rules for [Basic Internet Access Service] BIAS providers has resulted in a host of dubious practices that endanger consumers' privacy, and I am particularly concerned about new business models that single out low-income consumers for differential treatment with regard to their privacy and the use of their financial and other personal data.”

Sen Warren honed in on what she said was a potential disparate impact of the erosion of privacy for broadband customers on low-income people. She noted an AT&T offering that gives customers a discount to let AT&T use some of their data for targeted advertising. Effectively, the program charges more if users want to opt for a more private option. “Low-income consumers already have low rates of broadband adoption, and as your work continues in this proceeding, the Commission should pay special attention to practices that would disadvantage low-income consumers in particular,” she said. “Just as the Commission has protected consumers' privacy when it comes to traditional telephone service, so too should the Commission protect consumers' privacy when it comes to broadband.”