Legislation removing a 13-year-old restriction barring phone and cable TV companies from calling existing customers to market new services has received ringing support in the Idaho Senate.
The Senate approved the bill on a 26-6 vote Wednesday amid limited opposition from members of both parties, who argued it allows unwanted intrusion on people's privacy.
The Senate majority agreed with phone companies including Frontier Communications and Century Link Inc. that it's unfair to forbid them from calling their customers to sell them new, faster Internet service.
But Idaho Falls Republican Bart Davis said the proposal overriding the 2000 restriction, which received zero no-votes from either chamber, fails to represent the interests of Idahoans.
Customers can still ask not to be bothered under the bill which now heads to the governor's desk.