Outcry, Praise Follows Trump Signing of Privacy CRA Resolution

and Commissioner Mike O’Rielly lauded the new law. “To deliver that consistent and comprehensive protection, the [FCC] will be working with the [FTC] to restore the FTC’s authority to police Internet service providers’ privacy practices,” Pai said. “We need to put America’s most experienced and expert privacy cop back on the beat. And we need to end the uncertainty and confusion that was created in 2015 when the FCC intruded in this space.” Such a transition could involve undoing FCC Communications Act Title II reclassification of broadband. “The parade of horribles trotted out to scare the American people about its passage are completely fictitious, especially since parts of the rules never even went into effect,” said O’Rielly. Consumers “should feel confident,” said USTelecom President Jonathan Spalter. American Cable Association President Matt Polka said “nothing changes” in protecting consumer privacy. FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn tweeted that she awoke “from what I hoped was a bad dream.” FTC Commissioner Terrell McSweeny also tweeted her opposition. “The Republicans thought they could jam through this harmful law without anyone noticing,” said House Commerce Committee ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J. “Despite their effort to hide this latest corporate giveaway, Americans of all political stripes spoke out loud and clear to say that they wanted to keep their personal information private and secure.” Trump “made a grave mistake by signing this disastrous legislation,” said Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., calling the measure “as anti-consumer as it gets.” Consumer Federation of America Director-Consumer Protection and Privacy Susan Grant said “the fight is not over” and the groups “will continue to push for real privacy protections for Americans." She was echoed by Public Knowledge. "We've raised $23,000 to put up billboards exposing the lawmakers that voted to gut Internet privacy," Fight for the Future tweeted Tuesday. Richard Bennett, network architect and free-market blogger, lamented in a blog post about the “firestorm of delusion” about the issue. “The FCC will now draft a replacement regulation only constrained by the law and the requirement that it’s not substantially similar to the old regulation,” he said. “The new rules will harmonize the FCC’s approach to privacy with the FTC privacy framework.” Since the House passage of the CRA resolution, House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., has "received so many calls" on the issue, she said in a video, explaining her reasoning for the resolution: "This resolution does not make you less safe on the internet."