The House voted Tuesday to kill landmark privacy restrictions for Internet service providers and sent the bill to the White House, which indicated President Trump would sign it and invalidate the rules before they go into effect. Republicans, along with AT&T Inc., Charter Communications Inc., Comcast Corp. and other providers of high-speed Internet service, strongly opposed the rules. “These broadband privacy rules are unnecessary and are just another example of big government overreach,” said Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), who sponsored the repeal bill. But supporters of the new regulations, including Democrats, consumer groups and privacy advocates, fear that Internet service providers are assembling detailed files on their customers without their consent. But the congressional measure would invalidate the rules immediately while also preventing the FCC from issuing privacy regulations in the future that are “substantially the same.”Twitter: @JimPuzzangherajim.puzzanghera@latimes.com

Source: Los Angeles Times March 28, 2017 22:18 UTC