SUMMARY: Consumers Union supports HB 4155, which would provide Oregon residents with increased choice, security, and transparency over how internet service providers (ISPs) use the data they collect from their customers. The amended bill will also require ISPs conducting business in Oregon to adhere to net neutrality principles. Net neutrality is the basic principle that ISPs will treat all websites, apps, and other services on its networks equally. By establishing a net neutrality standard by which a state, a large consumer of telecommunication services, will award contracts to ISPs, consumers as a whole benefit from state and local governments stepping up to ensure an open internet.
Oregon residents need the protections that HB 4155 would provide. This bill would help protect Oregonians’ privacy and security by requiring ISPs to protect the information with reasonable safeguards and obtain permission before sharing or selling individuals’ personal information. In addition, this pro-consumer legislation would protect and support the internet as we know it, ensuring that consumers have access to an open marketplace where companies large and small compete on equal terms.