Resistance from industry and the Obama administration has dampened support for legislation designed to promote global Internet freedom, according to a report from CQ's Emily Cadei. The bill (HR 3605) from Rep. Christopher Smith, R-N.J., is scheduled for markup by the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Tuesday, the latest version of legislation Smith has been introducing since 2006. The measure would ban American companies from providing tools to governments such as those in Syria or Iran that allow them to censor the Internet. Smith's proposal has drawn fresh attention after recent reports that U.S. companies sold Arab governments technology that may have been used to monitor or restrict the Web-based communications of pro-democracy protestors. Senior U.S. officials including President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have repeatedly spoken out against countries that limit their citizens' freedom of expression and access to information on the Web.
The latest version of the legislation includes a provision similar to the 2010 Dodd-Frank bill's clause on conflict minerals. Smith's bill would require American IT companies to disclose to the Securities and Exchange Commission any time they provide Web-blocking or surveillance technology to countries designated as being "Internet restricted." Another new provision would bar the sale of such technology to those countries altogether. But the legislation has drawn only two cosponsors (both Republican), no Senate companion bill and quiet opposition from the tech industry, putting its chances of passage in serious doubt. The ambivalence from electronic freedom advocates and the legal complexity of the issue also have helped sap support for the bill, which is strongly supported by human rights and free speech groups.
FCC Overhaul Bill Headed to House Floor: CQ's Anne Kim reports the House Rules Committee on Monday approved a structure for debate of legislation that would overhaul how the Federal Communications Commission does business. The legislation (HR 3309) is scheduled to be considered on the floor Tuesday and would require the FCC to identify a market failure or barrier to entry before issuing new regulations with an economic impact of at least $100 million. The commission also would have to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of the new rules. Sponsor and House Energy and Commerce telecom subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., said the goal is to make the agency's operations more transparent.Walden has been clear that the bill is not aimed at the current leadership of the FCC, but he has accused the agency of using its authority to review media mergers to pursue "pursue unrelated policy goals" and making side deals with merger applicants that aren't announced to the last minute. House Republicans including Walden were vocally displeased with some of the conditions attached the NBC Universal-Comcast merger, as well as the length of the review. The legislation would codify the informal shot clock the FCC uses during reviews and put limits on the types of conditions the agency can place on transactions. Democrats have spoken out against the bill, which is expected to pass the House but unlikely to gain traction in the Senate.
GOP Out-Tweeting Democrats: Roll Call's Emma Dumain reports Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill are outpacing their Democratic counterparts on Twitter, according to a report from Edelman Digital. The report studies 456 congressional Twitter accounts and found Republicans are winning on all counts: engagement, mentions, amplification and follower growth. GOP lawmakers are replied to twice as much as Democrats, and mentioned more often as well. They tweeted 52 percent more links than Democrats and used more hashtags, which allow tweets to be searched and re-tweeted by topic easily. Speaker John Boehner was quick to tout his party's performance on Monday ... but via email, not Twitter. ICYMI — Administration Working on Online Privacy Standards: The Federal Trade Commission released its long-awaited final privacy framework on Monday and CQ's Ambreen Ali has all the details. The report calls for Congress to pass online privacy legislation to protect consumers, but also indicates the FTC will join the Obama administration in pursuing voluntary codes of conduct for industry to adopt. During the release of the Commerce Department's privacy report last month, White House officials said the public can't afford to wait for Congress to act on privacy, a stance echoed by FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz during a conference call on Monday. Consumer groups have argued voluntary codes will do little to protect consumers and their data, but broad privacy regulations are a tough sell in the House at present. The most prominent bill is a bipartisan effort (S 799) from Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., and John McCain, R-Ariz., that was introduced last year but hasn't been marked up. Like the White House plan, the Kerry-McCain bill incorporates a consumer privacy bill of rights. IT Supply Chain Hearing Today: Techies will want to pay attention to a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight hearing this morning on the security of the information technology supply chain. Cybersecurity experts have warned for years that hardware manufactured in China and elsewhere could come pre-loaded with malware that leaves the U.S. wide open for an attack. Securing the supply chain has become a key element of policy discussions, particularly surrounding federal IT contracting. Representatives from the Pentagon, Department of Energy and Government Accountability Office are expected to testify along with private sector security experts. On the Move: Paul Brigner has been hired as director of the North America regional bureau of the Internet Society, an Internet standards advocacy group. Brigner previously worked as senior vice president and chief technology officer at the Motion Picture Association of America.