'Click-to-cancel' legislation gaining popularity

Ever notice how it's a lot easier to sign up for a free trial than it is to cancel it? A plan to change that is moving through the halls of the state capitol.

Gretna's Vincent Cox's "click to cancel" bill proved overwhelmingly popular in committee, passing unanimously.

"If it takes one click to sign up, it should take one click to cancel," said Cox. "If you sign up online, you should never be forced onto a phone call to quit or vice-versa."

Cox says he's heard from constituents who have had it with companies making harder to disconnect a service than it is to sign up. He said some of them just give up and end up continuing their subscriptions even if they no longer want or need them.

The bill raises the question -- what if you signed up in a different state? Would a click-to-cancel law in Louisiana apply? Peter Robins-Brown, the executive director of Louisiana Progress, says he hopes this bill can be one step towards more broad legislation.

"One of the goals of trying to pass at the state level is, number one, offer protections immediately to Louisiana residents," Robins-Bronwn said. "But it’s also, hopefully, to create a bit of a groundswell so that we can have a federal framework on this."

The house floor is the bill's next stop.