The Senate voted to sideline FCC rules that greatly restricted the type of consumer data that internet providers could share without their permission.

The rules, passed by the FCC in October, when it was under Democratic control, had yet to take effect.

The FCC’s rules required that internet service providers get consent from their subscribers before they shared data on such things as browsing history, location data, and other types of usage. Such data collection is increasingly lucrative when it comes to advertising.

But Jeff Flake (R-Arizona), who sponsored the legislation to roll back the FCC’s action, said that the rules had “the potential to limit customers’ choice, stifle innovation and jeopardize data security by destabilizing the internet ecosystem.”

Internet service providers had objected to the FCC action, arguing that it subjected them to tougher regulations than those imposed by the Federal Trade Commission on internet search engines and social