House Commerce Privacy Bill to Deal With Government Data Practices, Says Blackburn
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The government’s handling of personal information will be the subject of a House Commerce Committee privacy bill, which also will have provisions on business practices, Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., told us Wednesday. She didn’t elaborate, including about when the measure will be introduced, and a committee spokeswoman didn’t get back to us right away. Blackburn is a member of the Communications Subcommittee.
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Speaking at a forum of the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee and Santa Clara University’s High Tech Law Institute, Blackburn had said the government’s collection, protection, use and retention of data has been a major subject of worries expressed at privacy roundtables she has held. “Citizens are very concerned” about the amount and kinds of information the government collects and holds, Blackburn said. But she added, “I can’t tell you exactly what the processes to move forward are going to be.” People want the opportunity “to protect their virtual ‘you,'” and “government has a different set of rules than anybody else,” Blackburn said. The “government must lead by example on privacy protection,” she said.
On the Hill, “bipartisan opposition to the imposition of the net neutrality rules” by the FCC “has had an impact” on the progress of spectrum legislation, Blackburn said. The “lesson in the failed D-block auction” is not to “weigh these auctions down with a lot of conditions and mandates,” which are “counterproductive” to business aims, she said. It’s “vitally important” to “get this spectrum out in the marketplace,” she said.
Asked about the administration’s legal challenge to the T-Mobile sale, Blackburn said, “I'm going to pretty much leave that alone. … We'll see what DOJ has to say.” But she added, “Let’s think long-term about the health of the industry and the health of jobs growth.” The policy shouldn’t “stifle the ability of innovators to innovate and bring applications” to users, Blackburn said.