Commerce Committee Pulls Privacy Bill
Mar 16, 2006, 2:39 PM by (staff)
The Senate Commerce Committee has decided to sit on a bill designed to protect subscribers' call records. This bill is a companion to the one which passed in the US House Commerce Committee last week. The Senate committee did not approve the bill for debate on the Senate floor because it has not been well received by either party. The bill gives a great deal of power to the FCC and FTC while limiting the power of the States. In its current format, the Senate bill only allows state Attorneys General to sue violators, ignoring the authority of many state utility or trade commissions. Although the privacy bill is stalled, House and Senate Judiciary committees have both passed bills making the impersonation of a subscriber to obtain records illegal.