ISPs Team Up On Cybersecurity Proposal

The National Cable & Telecommunications Association has joined with the chief telecom and wireless associations to propose a cybersecurity legislative framework, including collecting "better data" on problems, partnering with industry and consumer and business education.

In a letter to White House cybersecurity coordinator Howard Schmidt, with copies to key lawmakers, the trio presented a "consolidated" ISP position that included considering consolidating responsibility over federal networks in a single entity, providing incentives to the private sector in the form of tax breaks, liability protection and other benefits for government-industry partnerships. And they argue that the government needs to include industry experts from the beginning and not "wait until the last minute to bring industry into the planning cycle."