In a floor speech on Wednesday, Lieberman, I-Conn., called on Republicans to heed the advice of numerous military and national security experts, who have called for critical infrastructure regulations. But as CQ Homeland Security's Rob Margetta reports, the senator also commended the House for passing an information sharing bill that doesn't enforce any security standards, and indicated he is open to some form of compromise in a conference committee. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told Senate appropriators that federal agencies must move faster to secure their networks, and he endorsed Lieberman's legislation, arguing that the new regulatory powers would be crucial in order to respond to cyberthreats.
Lieberman has been the leading advocate for new cybersecurity laws in Congress and is set to retire at the end of this year. He also noted the lame-duck session is likely to focus on the national security budget, leaving little room for other legislation. So his impending departure will undoubtedly lend some urgency to the negotiations this summer, if and when they take place. But first the Senate must pass a bill of some form. Stay tuned.
White House Orders 'Dig Once' For Broadband: CQ's Ambreen Ali reports President Obama will sign an executive order on Thursday embracing a "dig once" policy for broadband expansion projects proposed by some Democrats. The proposal would require the Transportation Department to lay plastic pipes when it constructs highways, through which carriers could later run fiber optic and other cables to expand their networks. Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Mark Warner of Virginia previously introduced a "dig once" bill in the Senate (S 1939), while Rep. Anna Eshoo sponsored a similar bill in the House (HR 1695). The Obama administration has emphasized the expansion of broadband and wireless access as crucial to the nation's economic future. The administration poured billions into expanding broadband through the 2009 stimulus bill and the FCC recently shifted its largest telecom subsidy fund to focus on broadband instead of traditional landline phones. On the Move: House Energy and Commerce chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., announced Wednesday that his deputy staff director and longtime adviser Michael Beckerman will depart at the end of the month to create a forthcoming Internet project based in Washington. Communications director Alexa Marrero has been named deputy staff director, and Sean Bonyun has been named communications director. Rockefeller Continues Cramming Investigation: Senate Commerce chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., wrote to the four major wireless carriers on Wednesday asking for further information about unauthorized third-party charges on customers' phone bills, a practice known as "cramming." Rockefeller recently concluded a yearlong investigation into cramming on landline telephone bills that prompted some phone companies to move to stop the practice. Now the Commerce Committee is turning its attention to wireless carriers, who have become the primary communications option for most Americans. Expect wireless carriers to come under pressure to eliminate most or all third-party billing options in the next year. FCC Proposes Using 4.9 GHz Band for Public Safety: At its June open meeting on Wednesday, the FCC proposed using the 4940-4990 MHz (4.9 GHz) band of spectrum for public safety broadband communications. The spectrum is currently dedicated for use by public safety officials such as first responders and law enforcement; it is designated for both fixed and mobile communications. First responders would be able to set up temporary networks on the airwaves that would support voice, data and video communications in the aftermath of emergencies, complementing the proposed national public safety broadband network that is currently in the early planning stages. Since the spectrum is already designated for public safety, we don't expect significant resistance to the proposal. Lawmakers Urge Scrutiny of Verizon-Cable Deal: One day after news broke of a Justice Department antitrust investigation into the cable companies, a group of House Democrats led by Reps. Edward Markey of Massachusetts and John Conyers of Michigan sent a letter to the FCC and Attorney General Eric Holder urging close scrutiny of the proposed sale of spectrum from a couple of cable companies to Verizon. The deal is drawing widespread opposition from critics, who have called it the establishment of a communications cartel. The lawmakers argue the sale could jeopardize competition in the wireless market. Opposition to the transaction has been increasing steadily since it was announced, even though many details of the side agreements between the two sides to promote each other's products remain confidential. Given the Justice Department's newly aggressive approach to antitrust issues over the past two years, it looks increasingly likely that the government will either block the deal or attach significant conditions to the transfer of the spectrum licenses.