Acting Chairman Ohlhausen Welcomes FCC Action as Important Step to Restore FTC Consumer Protections

Acting Federal Trade Commission Chairman Maureen K. Ohlhausen issued the following statement on Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai’s announcement of a process to reverse the FCC’s 2015 decision to treat broadband Internet access service as a Title II common carrier service:

“I welcome Chairman Pai’s announcement as an important step toward restoring the FTC’s ability to protect broadband subscribers from unfair and deceptive practices, including violations of their privacy. Those consumer protections were an unfortunate casualty of the FCC’s 2015 decision to subject broadband to utility-style regulation. I look forward to working with Chairman Pai and other stakeholders to return to broadband subscribers the consumer protections they deserve.”

The FTC is the nation’s primary consumer protection agency and the most active consumer privacy and data security enforcer in the world. The FTC has brought more than 150 privacy and data security-related cases against companies across the economy, including cases against many of the largest Internet companies.

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