04/04/2018 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE

          HB 230-TELECOMMUNICATIONS & INTERNET PRIVACY                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:19:37 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KITO  announced that the  first order of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE  BILL  NO. 230,  "An  Act  relating  to the  collection  of                                                               
customer information  by telecommunications and  Internet service                                                               
providers; and  establishing an unfair  trade practice  under the                                                               
Alaska Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Act."                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:20:01 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
PATRICK  FITZGERALD,  Staff,   Representative  Harriet  Drummond,                                                               
Alaska  State  Legislature,  reintroduced  HB 230  on  behalf  of                                                               
Representative Drummond,  prime sponsor.   He explained  that the                                                               
proposed  bill  would  replace   a  protection  on  the  personal                                                               
property from  internet service providers  which was  repealed in                                                               
the  recent decision  by  the  Federal Communications  Commission                                                               
(FCC).                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:20:33 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND,  Alaska State Legislature,  presented HB
 as  prime sponsor.   She mentioned  similar legislation  in a                                                               
recent vote in the Minnesota State  Senate.  She remarked that in                                                               
March [2018],  Congress had voted to  lift a ban on  the practice                                                               
of selling  consumer data. She  noted that many  communities have                                                               
limited choice in ISPs.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:22:45 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  KNOPP  asked  about   the  rationale  behind  the                                                               
proposed bill.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  DRUMMOND answered  that  the Alaska  constitution                                                               
has one of the most stringent privacy protections in the nation.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:24:41 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  KITO announced  that public  testimony was  open from  the                                                               
previous hearing.   Upon ascertaining  that no one  was available                                                               
to testify, he closed public testimony on HB 230.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  BIRCH stated  he did  not support  the bill.   He                                                               
said the  move to  remedy the  issue needed to  be on  a national                                                               
level.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  WOOL said  he thinks  the bill  is precautionary,                                                               
but he  thinks "our data  is being  bought and sold  like crazy,"                                                               
and he does not  think a box on a form to state  that he does not                                                               
want his data sold is not a big burden.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:27:34 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE WOOL moved to report  HB 230 out of committee with                                                               
individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:27:53 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE BIRCH objected.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
A roll call  vote was taken.   Representatives Stutes, Josephson,                                                               
Wool, and Kito voted in favor  of HB 230.  Representatives Birch,                                                               
Knopp, and Sullivan-Leonard voted against  it.  Therefore, HB 230                                                               
was  reported  out  of  the House  Labor  and  Commerce  Standing                                                               
Committee by a vote of 4-3.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:28:38 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 3:28 p.m. to 3:31 p.m.