Cybersecurity Bill Draws Praise, Concern
While the Senate Commerce Committee Thursday touted support for cybersecurity legislation it approved this week, some tech industry groups say they still have concerns with the measure.
In a news release, the committee said the bill, sponsored by Chairman John (Jay) Rockefeller, D-W.Va., and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, is "the first comprehensive approach to developing a coordinated public-private partnership to prevent, deter, and respond to cyber attacks. Industry leaders and associations are praising the Rockefeller-Snowe bill as critically important to America's national and economic security."
The committee noted that the bill has drawn support from AT&T, the Center for Democracy and Technology, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, Symantec, U.S. Telecom, and Verizon. "The committee's rigorous open stakeholder process has resulted in a much improved measure that recognizes cybersecurity as a shared government and private sector responsibility," the statement quoted Symantec Chief Technology Officer Mark Bregman as saying.
But even though the committee adopted several changes during a markup session Wednesday, Liesyl Franz, Tech America's vice president for information security, said "we still have work to do" on some provisions that her group, the Business Software Alliance and the Information Technology Industry Council flagged in a letter to the committee earlier this week. Among the provisions cited in the letter include concern over one that calls on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to recognize and promote techniques and best practices.
BSA President and CEO Robert Holleyman said in a statement Wednesday, "Despite its many strengths, the Rockefeller/Snowe bill still contains elements that raise significant concerns and need to be addressed. The bill would establish a framework focused more on compliance than on innovation and agile response to cyber threats. The software industry is concerned that, despite its best efforts, the government would be unable to rapidly recognize best practices without defaulting to a one-size-fits-all approach."
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