The messy battle to protect your data from your own Internet provider

The Federal Communications Commission is planning to develop new privacy rules for Internet providers in Fall 2015, an outgrowth of its network neutrality decision earlier in 2015 that could have big implications for companies like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast. The long-awaited effort began quietly with an FCC workshop a few months ago, but as it gains steam, it's raising concerns among conservatives about whether the policy will go too far. And the discussion is already causing friction between Democrats and Republicans.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has declined to say when the agency might formally launch a rulemaking process. But if the FCC ultimately approves its new privacy policies for Internet providers, it could powerfully affect the industry's business model -- and even how consumers buy their Internet packages. AT&T, for instance, recently rolled out a broadband plan in Kansas City (MO) and Austin (TX), that gives customers a discount in exchange for allowing the company to track their Web history, the links that they see and click on and the amount of time they spend on a site. Mining this data would allow AT&T to serve better targeted ads. Under a more stringent privacy rule, the FCC could move to limit practices like these. Whether it should is going to be the subject of the next big battle in Internet policy.