On June 14, 2010, both the House and Senate received a message from the President regarding the national emergency declared with respect to North Korea.
Draft public safety legislation by House Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., envisions $11 billion for the construction and operation of a nationwide, interoperable public safety network. A draft we obtained Monday would fund the network using proceeds from auctions of the 700 MHz D-block and other spectrum, with additional money from the U.S. Treasury. Public safety groups have opposed that approach, favoring legislation to directly allocate the D-Block to public safety (CD June 8 p1). The House Communications Subcommittee plans to discuss the bill at a hearing Thursday.
Telecom officials will gather at Tuesday’s Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing to discuss the industry’s views on cybersecurity legislation proposed last week by Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn. and several lawmakers. The bill would give the president power to declare a national cyber-emergency and take unspecified emergency measures to address it without congressional approval (WID June 11 p1). Some industry leaders are concerned that the bill could give the president a “kill switch” to shut down the Internet despite promises by its sponsors that it will not. Speakers from the private sector at the 3 p.m. session, being held in Room 342 Dirksen, include Frances Fragos Townsend, who chairs the board of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance; Alan Paller, the SANS Institute’s Director of Research; and Verizon Chief Network Security Officer Sara Santarelli.
Public safety and emergency experts emphasized the need for more clarity, accuracy and relevance in emergency alert procedures and systems, they said at the FCC and Federal Emergency Management Agency’s 21st Century emergency alerting workshop Thursday, citing lessons learned from an emergency alert system test in Alaska in January. The FCC should extend the deadline for installing updated Emergency Alert System (EAS) gear and the federal government should fund more training to use it, some said.
A long-awaited cybersecurity bill introduced Thursday in the Senate Homeland Security Committee would give the president authority to declare a “national cyber emergency” and take emergency measures to fight it without further congressional approval. It would establish a national cybersecurity center and a formal cybersecurity czar appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. The bill was introduced by committee Chairman Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., ranking member Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del.
A long-awaited cybersecurity bill introduced Thursday in the Senate Homeland Security Committee would give the president authority to declare a “national cyber emergency” and take emergency measures to fight it without further congressional approval. It would establish a national cybersecurity center and a formal cybersecurity czar appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. The bill was introduced by committee Chairman Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., ranking member Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del.
Chinese citizens have full freedom of speech on the Internet, the Information Office of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China said in a white paper dated Tuesday setting out the country’s Internet policies. With that right protected by law, they can and do voice their opinions in many ways, it said. There are “vigorous” online exchanges of ideas and the huge quantity of bulletin board systems and blogs far outstrips that of other countries, it said. A sample survey showed that people post 3 million messages on BBS, news commentary sites, blogs and other sites every day, where they “fully express their opinions and represent their interests,” it said. Moreover, the government has made it possible for citizens to monitor it by reporting corrupt and degenerate officials via the Internet, it said. Chinese leaders often log on to find out what users want and sometimes respond directly to questions, it said. It’s common for governments at all levels to consult the public online before formulating policies, it said. But while people’s freedom and privacy of correspondence are legally protected, they're not allowed to infringe upon state, social or collective interests or the legitimate rights of others, the white paper said. No organization or individual can use telecom networks to engage in activities that “jeopardize state security, the public interest or the legitimate rights and interests of other people,” it said. In addition, users are barred from spreading information that subverts state power, undermines national unity, infringes on national honor and interests, incites ethnic hatred and secession, advocates heresy, pornography, violence, or terror or that infringes on others’ legitimate rights and interests, it said. Such content also threatens the free and safe flow of information on the Internet, it said. China faces severe Internet security threats and a high rate of hacking, it said. National situations and cultural traditions vary among nations, as do concerns about Internet security, it said. Each country’s worries “should be fully respected,” it said. “We should seek common ground and reserve differences, promote development through exchanges, and jointly protect international Internet security.” The policy also calls for: (1) Spurring Internet development to close the digital gap between different regions and between rural and urban areas. (2) Promoting extensive use of the Internet for e-commerce, development of the cultural industries, and dissemination of government information. (3) Promoting “general and hassle-free Internet accessibility,” digital intellectual property and citizens’ online privacy. (4) Sharing with other nations the opportunities offered by the Internet. The government will “unswervingly stick to its opening-up policy,” and welcomes enterprises from other countries into its online market, it said. China’s Internet industry is still rapidly expanding, with new situations and problems emerging all the time, the government said. It promised to stick to the basic principles of administering the Internet according to law, trying to follow the nature and law of new developments in light of its national situation, and encouraging scientific development with effective administration to contribute to the ‘Net’s growth worldwide, it said.
The House of Representatives approved a bill by voice vote Wednesday amending the Federal Power Act to enable the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to quickly address security threats to the electric grid. The Grid Reliability and Infrastructure Defense Act (HR-5026) amends the Power Act to require the president or Energy secretary to notify Congress when a threat triggers the commission’s authority to act. It discontinues any emergency measure ordered by the commission within a year. It also forces the commission to request and consider recommendations by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation before addressing a grid security vulnerability. The bill gives the president more flexibility in designating critical defense facilities and clarifies that grid security threats and vulnerabilities can affect non-programmable electronic devices. “The electric grid’s vulnerability to cyber and other attacks is one of the single greatest threats to our national security,” said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass. “Every one of our nation’s critical systems -- defense, water, health care, telecommunications, transportation, law enforcement, and financial services -- depends on the grid. This bipartisan legislation is critical to protecting the United States against this emerging threat."
The House of Representatives approved a bill by voice vote Wednesday amending the Federal Power Act to enable the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to quickly address security threats to the electric grid. The Grid Reliability and Infrastructure Defense Act (HR-5026) amends the Power Act to require the president or Energy secretary to notify Congress when a threat triggers the commission’s authority to act. It discontinues any emergency measure ordered by the commission within a year. It also forces the commission to request and consider recommendations by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation before addressing grid security vulnerability. The bill gives the president more flexibility in designating critical defense facilities and clarifies that grid security threats and vulnerabilities can affect non-programmable electronic devices. “The electric grid’s vulnerability to cyber and other attacks is one of the single greatest threats to our national security,” said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass. “Every one of our nation’s critical systems -- defense, water, health care, telecommunications, transportation, law enforcement, and financial services -- depends on the grid. This bipartisan legislation is critical to protecting the United States against this emerging threat."
European mobile operators are making good progress in protecting children from unsuitable content on mobile phones, the GSM Association Europe said Wednesday. The sector developed several years ago and with European Commission endorsement a strategy for safer mobile use by younger teenagers and children that covers classification of commercial content, access control mechanisms, education and awareness-raising and fighting illegal content. As of this month, 83 mobile companies have put the framework in place through national codes of conduct, the GSMA said. Eight more operators have signed up, it said, meaning 96 percent of all EU mobile subscribers benefit. A review of the program found a high level of compliance, it said. Many national code requirements go beyond the scope of the operators’ agreement, showing their willingness to “go the extra mile” to encourage safe and responsible phone use, it said. Child protection bodies said the codes are playing a key role in getting operators to engage with each other and nongovernmental organizations to make the mobile environment more secure, the GSMA said. While the companies’ work so far is appreciated, there’s an expectation they can do more given the emergence of fast-developing technologies, it said. Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes welcomed the report but said operators must raise parents’ awareness of new potential risks children face when using smart phones, such as easier access to adult material online. “Parents are often not as tuned into the latest developments in mobile phones as the younger generation,” she said.