Former FCC Commissioner O’Rielly Backs House GOP Data Privacy Bill
Former FCC Commissioner O’Rielly Backs House GOP Data Privacy Bill
https://broadbandbreakfast.com/former-fcc-commissioner-orielly-backs-house-gop-data-privacy-bill/
Publish Date: 2026-05-08 17:56:00
Source Domain: broadbandbreakfast.com
WASHINGTON, May 8, 2026 — Former Republican FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly is supporting two key provisions in a new data privacy bill introduced in April by House Republican leaders.
The proposed bill, called the Securing and Ensuring Consumer Uniform Rights and Enforcement over Data Act [SECURE Data Act], seeks to protect consumer data while preempting conflicting state laws. It was introduced on April 22.
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., sponsored the bill alongside Rep. John Joyce, R-Pa.
The bill gives consumers the right to demand the access and deletion of collected personal data, including targeted advertising, but preempts conflicting state regulations and blocks class-action data privacy lawsuits. The bill also requires companies to obtain the consent of a parent before collecting data on children and teenagers under 16 years old.
O’Rielly believes these provisions balance “generous” consumer protections with American technological competitiveness, while preventing the legal chaos potentially stemming from conflicting state laws.
“This is a sound policy choice, as it prevents abusive class-action lawsuits by trial attorneys that have plagued many other sectors of our economy, including telemarketing,” O’Rielly said. “Protecting privacy cannot become another cash cow for lawyers crowding state courts and extorting companies trying to comply with the rules.”
O’Rielly, who is President and CEO of the Media Institute, is an adjunct senior fellow at the Free State Foundation, a free-market think tank in Potomac, Maryland.
Rep. Joyce led a congressional working group which met with more than 170 organizations to receive feedback on the legislation. A second working group crafted a parallel bill protecting financial data.
Enforcement for the bill would come through a notice-and-coordination process overseen by the Federal Trade Commission, although the bill…
