Ore. House Panel Clears Data Broker Bill; Telcos Slam Robocalls Measure

An Oregon bill to regulate data brokers advanced through the House Business and Labor Committee in a 10-1 vote Monday. Also at the livestreamed hearing, state telecom groups opposed an anti-robocalls bill. The committee voted unanimously to amend the data broker bill (HB-2052) to clarify that an exemption for state and local governments includes public corporations. The amendment also made other technical fixes including to tweak the definition of “licensed” to align with Vermont’s data broker law. Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis voted no on the amended bill. The Republican said she opposed exempting government. Oregon DOJ Legislative Director Kimberly McCullough said she doesn’t think the government engages in data brokering. Another reason for the exemption is structural, said McCullough: It’s usually better to write separate laws for public and private sectors than to try to address them together. “If the government’s not involved in sharing that kind of data, then I’m not sure why they would be exempted in the first place,” responded Boshart Davis. Because the bill has fiscal impact, HB-2052 must go next to the Ways and Means Committee before getting a full House vote. The committee heard testimony but didn’t vote on the robocalls bill (HB-2759), which sponsor and committee Chairman Paul Holvey (D) said would give the Oregon attorney general the authority to hold accountable gateway telecom providers that pass along telemarketing calls from overseas. The bill also includes a private right of action. Oregon DOJ supports the bill, which aligns state law more closely with federal statute, said Deputy Legislative Director Kate Denison. Gateways providers are "actively choosing to ignore suspicious activity because carrying more calls equals more profit," she said. HB-2759 also got support from Oregon Consumer Justice and Oregon Public Interest Research Group. The Oregon Telecommunications Association (OTA) and Oregon Cable Telecommunications Association opposed the bill. OTA members aren’t telemarketing companies and don’t know who the telemarketers are, said Executive Vice President Brant Wolf. "This bill will hold us responsible for something we really can't avoid doing,” he said. "If a number is dialed, we have to complete the call.”