[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 54 (Tuesday, March 28, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S2029]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       Broadband Consumer Privacy

  Mr. FRANKEN. Mr. President, I rise today to talk about the effort by 
my Republican colleagues to gut critical consumer privacy protections. 
Last week, the Senate voted 50 to 48 to allow internet service 
providers such as Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T to freely collect, share, 
and sell its customers' private information. Later today, the House 
will vote on the same measure.
  Let's be clear what we are talking about here. From web browsing 
histories to app usage information, broadband providers have easy 
access to a whole lot of Americans' personal information. Comcast knows 
exactly what ails you when you visit WebMD's Symptom Checker or that 
you have recently experienced a major life event when you are browsing 
maternity clothes on target.com. They would like the ability to use or 
sell this information to target advertising toward you, and they would 
really like to use or sell this information without first having to ask 
your permission.
  Now, for me, the interests of consumers in Minnesota, Texas, and 
across our country have always come before those of big corporations. 
That is why I have long championed an internet that is open, 
accessible, and protects Americans' fundamental rights to privacy. For 
most Americans, I don't think those are controversial ideas.
  For example, I suggest that most if not all of us in the Senate 
believe in the importance of ensuring that Americans have access to 
affordable high-speed internet. It is one of those great issues on 
which Members on both sides of the aisle can agree. See, we all know 
that Americans' cable and broadband bills are too high. The Consumer 
Federation of America recently reported that the average American 
household spends about $2,700 a year for phone, TV, and Internet 
services. That is why it is so disappointing that instead of acting to 
make broadband more affordable and more accessible for Americans, my 
Republican colleagues have actually paved the way for multibillion-
dollar companies to make even more money off of their consumers by 
monetizing some of the most intimate details of their lives. Make no 
mistake about it, this is purely and simply a corporate handout at the 
expense of Americans' privacy.
  When the FCC voted to pass the broadband privacy rules, the broadband 
industry was quick to oppose and oppose loudly. In recent months, 
internet service providers have used their vast resources to lobby the 
FCC and my fellow lawmakers. If House Republicans heed their call, as 
my colleagues in the Senate have done, companies like Comcast, Verizon, 
and AT&T will be free to sell their customers' personal information to 
the highest bidder, and importantly, they will do so without the 
oversight or regulation of either the Federal Communications Commission 
or the Federal Trade Commission.
  For my part, I have long held that Americans have a fundamental right 
to privacy. We deserve both transparency and accountability from 
companies that have the capacity to trade on their private information. 
Should some people choose to leave their personal information in the 
hands of those companies, they certainly deserve to know that their 
information is being safeguarded to the greatest degree possible. I am 
going to keep fighting on behalf of consumers in Minnesota and across 
the country to secure these rights because I work for them and not the 
broadband industry.
  Thank you, Mr. President.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CORKER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.