U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) wants to make it easier to cancel online subscriptions.
On Monday, he urged the Federal Trade Commission to finalize a “click to cancel" rule that would allow consumers to cancel online subscriptions as easily as they start them.
The rule was passed by the FTC under the Biden administration and was supposed to go into effect last month, but it got held up in the court of appeals.
“Right now, very often, they will express interest in a trial membership or subscription, and they are automatically signed up and then automatically renewed,” Blumenthal said. “And the charges keep coming, and there's no way for them to stop them easily.”
The rule was voted against by the two Republican members of the FTC. Current FTC chair Andrew Ferguson was one of the members to initially vote no.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce was one of multiple entities that sued to block the rule, saying the FTC did not follow proper protocol to enact it, and that it was unfair to businesses.
Blumenthal is sponsoring the Consumer Online Payment Transparency and Integrity Act, which would require users to opt in to conditions rather than assume permission and allow them to opt out.
He said he’s still holding out hope for bipartisan support.
“I want to be very blunt and clear-eyed that right now it is a Democratic sponsored measure, and consumer issues ought to be bipartisan. Many have been in the past,” Blumenthal said.
