Consumer Protection

The House Energy and Technology Committee advanced legislation (H.360) Wednesday aimed at accelerating the development of community broadband in Vermont. If enacted, this VPIRG-supported legislation will make significant resources available to the state’s Communications Union Districts (CUDs) – public, municipal entities formed to provide universal, affordable, world-class broadband to their regions. Notably, the legislation would …

House Committee Advances Community Broadband Bill Read More »

If you own a piece of equipment, you should be able to fix it. This seems like a fairly obvious and uncontroversial idea, right? And yet, more and more, consumers are unable to make basic repairs to products they own because manufacturers refuse to provide the parts, tools, and documentation necessary to do so. That’s …

VT Farmers: Share Your Repair Story Read More »

This isn’t breaking news, but it can’t be repeated enough – the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic devastation it has wrought has caused many Vermonters to face incredible hardships. In Vermont, our elected leaders have enacted a number of policies to mitigate the financial impact of this crisis – and VPIRG members have supported several …

VPIRG Supports a Moratorium on Auto Repossessions During the Pandemic Read More »

S.110 – a wide-ranging data privacy and consumer protection law is on Governor Phil Scott’s desk. This VPIRG-supported bill contains a number of key provisions aimed at better protecting Vermonters’ personal information, informing them when their data has been compromised and keeping them out of unwanted ‘zombie contacts.’ S.110 was introduced at the beginning of …

Student Data Privacy Bill Heads to Governor’s Desk Read More »

Today, Governor Scott signed into law the most significant set of policies in years to expand and improve broadband internet access throughout the state. H.513 – the VPIRG-backed broadband expansion bill – increases the funding needed to boost state government support for local internet startups and establishes a state revolving loan fund to help these …

Governor Signs Broadband Expansion Bill Read More »

Today the Vermont House took one of the most significant steps in years to expand and improve broadband internet access throughout the state. The House passed H.513 – a VPIRG-backed broadband expansion bill – on an overwhleming 139-2 vote. In doing so, legislators have recognized that the largest telecom companies will not adequately serve all …

House Advances Broadband Expansion Bill Read More »

The Vermont Senate gave final approval Thursday to a VPIRG-backed bill (S.110) aimed at protecting students and their parents from the misuse of data collected via educational software. The bill is modeled on legislation enacted in California in 2016 that prevents technology companies from using student data gathered via educational software and websites for non-educational …

Student Online Privacy Bill Passes VT Senate Read More »

Last week, Marriott International revealed that it suffered a breach of its Starwood reservation database. The breach exposed the personal information of up to 500 million people. The breach began back in 2014 and anyone who stayed at any of Marriott’s Starwood properties (i.e. W Hotels, St. Regis, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, Westin Hotels & Resorts, …

Marriott Data Breach: What You Need to Know Read More »