Winners And Losers In The Recess Rush

This looks to be the last legislative workweek in Congress before the election, and that means lawmakers are scrambling to finish work on must-pass bills and measures that might win them favor with voters. Other matters are falling by the wayside.

A bill aimed at streamlining the licensing of online music was among the latter. Sponsors of the measure abruptly pulled it from consideration by the House Judiciary Committee this week, acknowledging that it had little or no prospect of gaining approval in the current Congress.

Texas Republican Lamar Smith, the chief bill sponsor, said he believed he had the support to push it through the House but saw no reason to do so in view of the fact that the measure has become bogged down in the Senate.

Also in the news this week: the spying scandal at Hewlett-Packard, the renewed push for a deal on legislation aimed at preventing such spying, and the outcry against a planned merger between AT&T and BellSouth. Listen to the podcast for details on those stories and more.

There's A New Cyber Czar In Town

Republicans in Congress have dubbed this month "Security September," and the Homeland Security Department endorsed that theme this week by naming a cyber-security chief after 14 months of industry anticipation.

Greg Garcia was named to the post. He has been the vice president for information security programs at the Information Technology Association of America since 2003 and was on the majority staff of the House Science Committee.

Industry sources lauded the choice. Business Software Alliance President and CEO Robert Holleyman said Garcia has the perfect mix of government cyber-security knowledge and policy and political skills to do the job well. Paul Kurtz, executive director of the Cyber Security Industry Alliance, called the hiring "a very important step forward for the department."

Other tech-related news developments this week included a pledge for Senate action on telecom legislation after the November election, an appeal to review the government's fight against child pornography, and a court's decision to put an e-voting initiative on the ballot in Florida. Listen to the podcast for details on those stories and more.

Security September: The GOP Theme

Security September. That's what Republicans in Congress are calling this month in Washington, and the agenda certainly lived up to that billing this week.

The week started with events to mark the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and then came the legislative work. The House and Senate each passed homeland security bills.

The Senate passed a maritime security bill by a vote of 98-0 after defeating a Democratic-backed amendment on cargo scanning. That proposal would have required the Homeland Security Department, within four years, to scan all containers before they arrive at U.S. ports.

The House, meanwhile, passed a border security bill that calls for 700 miles of fencing, as well as cameras, ground sensors and unmanned aerial vehicles, along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Other topics that surfaced this week included the push to ban Internet gambling, the effort to protect civil liberties as the nation combats terrorism, and the quest to overhaul telecommunications law. Listen to the podcast for details.

Summer Pitches On Net Neutrality

Congress is back in town from its August recess, and telecommunications reform is one of the biggest technology issues on its agenda. The topic was the focus of some heavy lobbying during the break.

Opponents and proponents of a network neutrality mandate, which would prohibit high-speed Internet providers from potentially slowing competitors' content, worked to educate Americans about the issue. The opponents used cable television, airing ads in some cable markets in August as part of a campaign that went national Sept. 1.

Supporters used the Internet to deliver thousands of petitions to Senate offices in 25 cities. Craig Aaron, the spokesman for the Save the Internet coalition, said his group can't compete with the hundreds of millions of dollars being spent by net neutrality foes, but it doesn't want to anyway. He said the most effective way to save the Internet is by using it.

This week's podcast also covers: the effort to link a broad telecom bill with a narrower one focused on "enhanced 911" emergency telephone service; lobbying for a research and development tax credit and other competitiveness initiatives; and the ongoing investigation into corporate backdating of stock options to illegally boost executive pay. Listen to the podcast for details.