Revisions to the cybersecurity legislation (S 3414) favored by Senate leaders and the White House should be enough to get it to the floor, but after that nothing is certain, according to CQ's Tim Starks. The compromise offered late last week omits any regulations for critical infrastructure providers and reflects a serious effort to appease the concerns of privacy advocates. Those decisions should win over enough Republicans and fence-sitting Democrats to overcome the 60-vote threshold. But whether the legislation will pass the Senate, let alone draw interest from the House, is still in doubt.
President Obama expressed support for the measures in an op-ed last week, showing the White House's acceptance that this bill is as far as Congress would be willing to go on cybersecurity this year. Having stepped back from their demands for critical-infrastructure regulations, supporters of cybersecurity legislation are now urging the Senate to move on this legislation, which will likely come up for debate later this week or early next week. Awareness of the risks has grown significantly over the past year, to the point several GOP senators have expressed concern about the overall cyber threat. That's likely because reports of massive cyberattacks on U.S. firms have become a regular occurrence. Eventually one of those attacks will target a utility company or another critical infrastructure provider and cause significant physical or economic damage. At that point, no one will want to be the lawmaker who held up new cybersecurity laws. Whether that will be enough to compel lawmakers to act remains to be seen.
Democrats Plan Attacks on Foreign Call Centers: Senate Democrats are planning to press for new restrictions on U.S. operators of overseas call centers, the latest prong in their election year attack on outsourcing. Senators facing touch races in swing states, such as Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Sherrod Brown of Ohio, will lead the campaign, which will push a bill (S 3364) that would deny federal grants and guaranteed loans to companies that move call centers abroad. Republicans have shown little interest in the idea, with some referring to it as protectionism and as pandering to voters. The tech sector, which relies on outsourcing for customer service and other back-office functions, is likely to strongly oppose the campaign. Wyden Says Government Violated FISA Rules: An intelligence official acknowledged on Friday that the government has sometimes violated surveillance laws, which could complicate efforts to extend an expiring law that allows the warrantless surveillance of foreigners in communication with Americans. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has opposed the extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act provision to allow the surveillance; his office asked an official in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to review the implementation of the law. The official acknowledged that the government has violated the restrictions under FISA, but said those issues have been addressed. House and Senate Committees have approved extensions of the law, but neither chamber has brought the measure to the floor for a vote. Tech, Auto Industries Team Up on Patent Fight: Silicon Valley and Detroit are teaming up to push for legislation that would limit the ability of "patent trolls" to sue companies at the International Trade Commission. Patent trolls buy patents expressly for the purpose of suing companies, in hopes of gaining licensing fees. Tech and car companies are especially susceptible, as their products often incorporate thousands of patents. While the issue is very real, Congress just overhauled patent laws last year and is unlikely to attempt any ambitious changes in the near term. Still, this issue is likely to loom large in the 113th Congress as tech companies escalate their legal wrangling over patents purchased from now-defunct companies. On the Move: Twitter has hired two new associates for its D.C. office: Bridget Coyne, former digital director for Sen. Ron Wyden, and Sean Evins, a Republican aide for the Committee on House Administration. New Document: CRS Report on the USDA's Rural Broadband Loan and Grant Programs (PDF)