The House Commerce Committee approved by a 47-0 roll-call vote a cybersecurity bill that would amend the Federal Power Act to enable FERC to quickly address security threats to the electric grid. The committee approved by voice vote a manager’s amendment that included tweaks requiring notification of Congress whenever the president determines a grid security threat exists, and to require FERC consultation with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). Democratic and Republican members agreed the bill (HR-5026) would improve national security and saluted friendly work between parties.
An ICANN proposal for a domain name system computer emergency response team got a thumbs-down from most sectors of its community. In responses to a consultation that ended Wednesday, generic top-level domain (gTLD) registries, country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) managers, business interests and others branded the plan premature, overreaching, expensive and unnecessary. The strongest support came from two national CERTs.
The House Commerce Committee approved by a 47-0 roll-call vote a cybersecurity bill that would amend the Federal Power Act to enable FERC to quickly address security threats to the electric grid. The committee approved by voice vote a manager’s amendment that included tweaks requiring notification of Congress whenever the president determines a grid security threat exists, and to require FERC consultation with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). Democratic and Republican members agreed the bill (HR-5026) would improve national security and saluted friendly work between parties.
The National Governors Association and six other groups sent a letter to pivotal members of the House asking them to oppose provisions in the FCC’s National Broadband Plan that would offer the 700 MHz D-block in a commercial auction. “The utilization of broadband technology is crucial to the future of public safety and will enhance the ability to save lives by quickly sharing information with first responders, public institutions and private citizens,” the groups said. “Allocating the D block directly to public safety is the only way to ensure a robust, modern and reliable nationwide interoperable network.” Public safety has long sought dedicated spectrum for a national wireless network, the letter said. “This requires an appropriate, dedicated band of spectrum that can accommodate the everyday needs of firefighters, police officers and emergency medical personnel, as well as provide excess capacity during times of emergency. The 700 MHz D block finally provides this opportunity.” The National Conference of State Legislatures, the Council of State Governments, the National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities, the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the International City/County Management Association signed the letter. The letter was sent to the chairman and ranking members of the House Commerce Committee and its communications subcommittee.
All eyes are on Chairman Julius Genachowski on one of the first controversial orders before the FCC since he became chairman: A proposal to reclassify broadband under Title II of the Communications Act in the aftermath of the Comcast v. FCC decision. He faced repeated questions Wednesday, at a Senate Commerce hearing on the National Broadband Plan, about his position on whether the commission needs to reclassify broadband Wednesday. But he offered little beyond what he has said since the decision came down last week. (See related report in this issue).
The FBI’s use of “exigent letters” to get phone records from telecommunications companies without first going through a legal process may lead to revision of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, and possibly the firing of the FBI’s top lawyer, officials indicated. The House Judiciary Constitution Subcommittee grilled FBI General Counsel Valerie Caproni at a hearing Wednesday about her office’s role in the controversy, the subject of a 300-page report by Justice Department Inspector General Glenn Fine. His office previously released reports on abuses of National Security Letters, which the FBI issued to organizations demanding phone, e-mail and other business records. Their gag-order requirement doomed the Patriot Act provision in court (CD Sept 7/07 p8).
All eyes are on Julius Genachowski on one of the first controversial orders before the FCC since he became chairman: A proposal to reclassify broadband under Title II of the Communications Act in the aftermath of the Comcast v. FCC decision. He faced repeated questions Wednesday, at a Senate Commerce hearing on the National Broadband Plan, about his position on whether the commission needs to reclassify broadband Wednesday. But he offered little beyond what he has said since the decision came down last week. (See related report in this issue).
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Satellite executives see broadband, access to the mass market, and the blurring of civil, military, and commercial services as the source of future growth in the industry, they said at the National Space Symposium. The executives, from different parts of the satellite industry, spoke on a panel about emerging applications.
The FBI’s use of “exigent letters” to get phone records from telecommunications companies without first going through a legal process may lead to revision of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, and possibly the firing of the FBI’s top lawyer, officials indicated. The House Judiciary Constitution Subcommittee grilled FBI General Counsel Valerie Caproni at a hearing Wednesday about her office’s role in the controversy, the subject of a 300-page report by Justice Department Inspector General Glenn Fine. His office previously released reports on abuses of National Security Letters, which the FBI issued to organizations demanding phone, e-mail and other business records. Their gag-order requirement doomed the Patriot Act provision in court (WID Sept 7/07 p1).
U.S. companies face a minefield in using electronic information for background checks on would-be employees around the world, lawyers said Wednesday in an American Bar Association seminar. There’s draft federal legislation in Germany to ban the use of information from social networks, Boris Dzida of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in Hamburg said in the webcast and teleconference. That’s “extraordinary” in relation “to the open book we have” in the U.S., said moderator Philip Berkowitz of Nixon Peabody. But contrary to the position of German unions, the measure would allow searches of other publicly available information, such as with Google, Dzida said.