States consider limited internet service providers’ access to user data

by Todd Shields, Chicago Tribune

Soon after President Donald Trump took office with a pledge to cut regulations, Republicans in Congress killed an Obama-era rule restricting how broadband companies may use customer data such as web browsing histories.

Lawmakers in almost two dozen state capitols are considering ways to bolster consumer privacy protections rolled back with Trump’s signature in April. The proposals being debated from New York to California would limit how AT&T, Verizon Communications and Comcast use subscribers’ data.

The privacy rule is just one example of states resisting policy changes wrought under the Trump administration. After Trump withdrew from the Paris climate accord, the governors of New York, California and Washington formed a coalition to fight global warming. California has also balked at Trump’s review of fuel-efficiency standards for automobiles and said it would fight any move to weaken them. And 35 states are pressing for the right to enforce laws guaranteeing internet service speeds live up to advertisements.

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