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Markey Criticizes FCC Rollbacks, Republican Opposition to Affordability Programs

Markey announced his children’s online privacy act passed the Senate.

Kelcie Lee

Mar 6, 2026 — 3 min read

Photo of Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., at Benton Institute for Broadband and Society’s Telecom Act at 30 event on March 5, 2026, by Kelcie Lee.

WASHINGTON, March 5, 2026 – Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., announced that his Children and Teens’ Online Privacy and Protection Act — a bill that’s been in the works for 15 years — passed unanimously on the Senate floor on Thursday.

Introduced by both Markey and Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., Markey said it was a priority to protect children from targeted advertisements and “corporate tech companies” that have monetized technology at the expense of children. The bill would update online data privacy rules and ensure children are protected online.

“It’s the best of technologies and the worst of technologies simultaneously,” Markey said. “It can enable, it can ennoble, it can degrade, it can debase.”

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USF universal service Ed Markey Senator Ed Markey Edward Markey Benton Institute for Broadband & Society Children and Teens’ Online Privacy and Protection Act Senate Bill Cassidy Telecommunications Act of 1996 Telecom Act E-Rate Affordability Wi-Fi FCC Affordable Connectivity Program ACP Donald Trump Artifical Intelligence AI AI Civil Rights Act

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