October 2010

"The House finds itself in a state of emergency."
-- House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH)

BENTON'S COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2010

No fun on a Friday when Congress is gone? You crazy? The Role of Managed Services on Broadband Networks and the 38th TPRC today and into the weekend http://benton.org/calendar/2010-10-01

NETWORK NEUTRALITY/RECLASSIFICATION
   Waxman's Bottom Line: The 'FCC Must Act'
   Reaction to Waxman Network Neutrality Announcement
   No network neutrality plan from Congress, so now what?
   Free Press Pushed Hard Against Waxman Bill
   See also:Net Neutrality Opponent Calls Out Net Neutrality Proponent
   A look at how Network Neutrality could affect Comcast-NBCU merger
   Response to the European Commission Questionnaire on the Open Internet

THE STIMULUS
   Positive review of stimulus package
   USDA Broadband Stimulus Awards for 4 States
   ISP Challenges West Virginia's Use of Broadband Stimulus Funds

MORE NEWS FROM THE HILL
   Congress turns down the volume on TV commercials
   Senate passes bill boosting telework
   Udall Drops "Bill Shock" Legislation
   Measure Would Give Consumers More Control Over Web Tracking
   Bill from Rep Honda would create office of STEM education

HEALTH
   FCC changes position on cell phone radiation and safety guidelines

TELEPHONY
   FCC Telephone Trend Report

TELEVISION
   Live sports keep people from cutting cable cord
   CableCard Set-Tops Top 22.75 Million: NCTA
   Apple, Google and Others: Vying for Prime Time in the Digital Living Room
   BBG Chairman Isaacson Outlines Vision for International Broadcasting

PRIVACY
   Online Privacy, Suicide, And A New Cultural Norm
   Do You Actually Care About Privacy?

FCC REFORM
   The Longstanding FCC Problem with Transparency on the Disposition of Petitions

MEDIA & ELECTIONS
   Technology Changes the Face of Politicking

COMMUNITY MEDIA
These Headlines presented in partnership with:

   Community + Broadband by Design
   Media literacy should be everyone's objective
   Make children media literate
   Connecting the Unconnected: Empowerment through Community Media
   HP donates $5 million to create journalism technology exhibit at Newseum

STORIES FROM ABROAD
   Europe to get stronger cybersecurity laws
   YouTube to Pay Royalties to French Composers

MORE ONLINE
   Senate blocks recess appointments with deal between Dems, GOP
   Boehner Outlines Changes if GOP Takes House
   How the campaign finance system is eroding confidence in Congress
   An Obama Quote Stokes the Blogosphere
   Smart grid communications services need to be top-notch to support grid initiatives
   James O'Keefe And A Media Movement Gone Mad

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NETWORK NEUTRALITY/RECLASSIFICATION

THE FCC MUST ACT
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: Art Brodsky]
House Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) confounded the critics who slammed him and his staff for putting together a draft bill that supposedly favored the big telecom companies when he called on the Federal Communications Commission to get with the network neutrality program: "The bottom line is that we must protect the open Internet. If Congress can't act, the FCC must." And Congress isn't acting any time soon. At the end, the politics were fascinating. Under normal circumstances, when AT&T and Verizon want House Republicans to do something, they usually do it. AT&T and Verizon wanted Waxman's bill, sensing a win. Amazingly, however, House Republicans balked. Call this the Tea Party influence on telecom. Some Tea Party groups filed a comment with the FCC asking the Commission not to "regulate the Internet." Remarkably, their letter, from a batch of grass-roots organizations, used the same talking points as inside-Washington players like the National Cable and Telecommunications Association and Americans for Tax Reform, when referring, for example to the "depression-era" Communications Act. So what we had here were some "grassroots" groups using industry talking points to kill a bill that the telecom industry now wanted ­ or at least said it could support. Ah, irony. Make no mistake. This was an ugly process. Friends turned on friends, coalitions were fractured, hard decisions were made. And yet, at the end of the day, one clear defining message came out of it, and it bears repeating. The chairman of the House Commerce Committee said that the FCC "must act." Waxman's directive couldn't be any clearer. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has his marching orders. It's time for him to hit the road and get it done.
benton.org/node/42906 | Public Knowledge
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REACTION TO WAXMAN
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Cecilia Kang]
With renewed attention on the Federal Communications Commission and net neutrality, some lawmakers have cast their support for the agency to reassert its authority as regulator of broadband Internet services. Rep Ed Markey (D-MA) joined Sen Byron Dorgan (D-ND) on Sept 30, urging the Federal Communications Commission to reassert its authority over broadband services after a failed House attempt to create a network neutrality bill. Other lawmakers, including Rep Joe Barton (R-TX), have been fiercely critical of such a move.
Broadband service providers and Internet content firms are expressing mixed reactions.
"After months of hard work, we were pleased to reach an agreement with Chairmen Waxman and Boucher on compromise legislation that would ensure the openness of the Internet while protecting investment ­ all without new, intrusive FCC regulation," wrote Jim Cicconi, senior vice president of external affairs at AT&T. That "intrusive FCC regulation" would be reclassification of broadband services. On Sept 28, AT&T said it had reached a deal to support draft legislation which would have regulated both wireline and wireless networks. The rules for wireline networks were tougher. The draft bill also prevented the FCC from placing broadband businesses under telephone rules, a proposal phone and cable companies have strongly resisted.
The broadband and television satellite services provider Dish Network said the only way to create a net neutrality rule is for the FCC to redefine broadband as a telecommunications service. Facebook, which has advocated for net neutrality rules regardless of whether they are mandated by Congress or the FCC, said it supported Waxman's efforts. But spokesman Andrew Noyes said the social networking giant would be concerned if such a bill didn't include rules to prevent carriers from blocking applications such as Facebook.
benton.org/node/42930 | Washington Post | WashPost - companies | The Hill - AT&T | CongressDaily - Dorgan
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WHAT NEXT?
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Matthew Lasar]
With House Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) throwing in the towel on network neutrality legislation, what happens next? This development definitely drives this clunker back to the Federal Communications Commission's garage. The FCC has been kicking the network neutrality ball down the road for months. The matter is noticeably absent from the agency's October Open Commission meeting, as it was in September. And public interest groups are already making the obvious point. If Congress can't deal with this question, it's time for the FCC to punt. "We are in full agreement with Chairman Waxman that the FCC must act now to protect consumers by reinstating its authority over broadband," declared Gigi Sohn at Public Knowledge. "We can wait no longer. We expect those members of Congress who argued that it was Congress' duty to set telecommunications policy would recognize the authority of the FCC in the absence of legislation."
benton.org/node/42905 | Ars Technica
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FREE PRESS OPPOSED BILL
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
When House Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman thanked stakeholders for trying to come to consensus on compromise network neutrality legislation, he gave shout-outs to the Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, Public Knowledge, and the Center for Democracy for their "steadfast advocacy". Notably absent from that list was steadfast advocate Free Press. Free Press President Josh Silver warned the Open Internet Coalition that if it supported the Waxman bill, Free Press, which is a member, would pull out. OIC had been at the table at various negotiations over the bill, but Free Press had its own representative at the Waxman negotiations and wanted to make sure that it was clear OIC was not speaking for them.
benton.org/node/42929 | Broadcasting&Cable
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NETWORK NEUTRALITY AND COMCAST
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Cecilia Kang]
Observers say the merger between Comcast and NBC Universal could be a vehicle for Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski to carry out his network neutrality ambitions. But it would be unfair, according to a company executive, if Comcast was singled out as the only broadband service provider to have to abide by net neutrality rules. That's the dilemma for Comcast, which has in the past opposed new industry-wide net neutrality rules but now believes that if there are rules, everyone should be covered by them. "You can't protect the Internet with conditions on a company with 20 percent of the market and leave the 80 percent of the rest of the market alone," the executive said in a recent interview. That official spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the ongoing federal reviews of Comcast's merger. The FCC imposed net neutrality conditions on AT&T and Bell South's union in 2006 and other mergers. But the Comcast executive pointed out that those conditions were enforceable rules on existing Internet access guidelines at the FCC. For the agency to impose additional rules that prevent discrimination of traffic on networks would be "inappropriate," the official said.
benton.org/node/42931 | Washington Post
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OPEN INTERNET IN EUROPE
[SOURCE: New America Foundation, AUTHOR: James Losey, Wendy Seltzer, Josh King, Benjamin Lennett, Sascha Meinrath, Herman Wagter, Kamilla Kovacs]
The New America Foundation's Open Technology Initiative, Electronic Frontier Finland, Hispalinux, Global Partners & Associates, Open Rights Group, and the Open Spectrum Alliance responded to the European Commission's questionnaire on the Open Internet and Net Neutrality. The reply focuses on the Internet as a result of the interconnection of thousands of neutral networks and the harm caused by discriminatory network management practices and fragmentation caused when network operators provide different definitions for "Internet access." In the reply the groups describe examples of non-neutral networks and how these discriminatory
network practices have a direct impact on end-user freedom, Internet innovation, and foreclose on opportunities the Internet can provide.
Recommendations detailed in the response include:
The European Union should make a clear commitment to the protection of an Internet built on end-to-end architecture where access to services, applications, and content, and how they interact with the network is decided by the end-user.
"Internet access" should be clearly defined to as access to any and all applications, services or content available on the public Internet at the discretion of the end-user.
The Commission should issue ex ante principles as clear guidance underpinning the protection of the open Internet in the revised Electronic Communications Framework, including what constitutes reasonable traffic management to create a unified Community-wide framework.
Network neutrality rules should be applied equally to fixed and mobile networks.
All network operators should provide a standard Truth-in-Labeling disclosure with network capabilities, including minimum guarantees, limitations, and restrictions.
National Regulatory Agencies should implement tools for measurement, data collection, and analysis of network traffic and performance of fixed and mobile networks.
benton.org/node/42928 | New America Foundation
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THE STIMULUS

STIMULUS GETS HIGH MARKS
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Lori Montgomery]
The massive economic stimulus package President Obama pushed through Congress last year is coming in on time and under budget - and with strikingly few claims of fraud or abuse - according to a White House report. Coming barely a month before November's midterm elections, which will determine whether Democrats retain control of Congress, the report challenges public perceptions of the stimulus aid as slow-moving and wasteful - an image that has fueled voter anger with the dominant party. Even some former skeptics who predicted that the money would lead to rampant abuse now acknowledge that the program could serve as a model for improving efficiency in government. By the end of September, the administration had spent 70 percent of the act's original $787 billion, which met a White House goal of quickly pumping money into the nation's ravaged economy, the report says. The administration also met nearly a dozen deadlines set by Congress for getting money out the door. Meanwhile, lower-than-anticipated costs for some projects have permitted the administration to stretch stimulus money further than expected, financing an additional 3,000 projects, according to the report. Despite the speedy spending, the report says that stimulus contracts and grants have so far been relatively free of the fraud charges that plague more routine government spending programs. Complaints have been filed on less than 2 percent of awards under the program.
benton.org/node/42936 | Washington Post | USA Today
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BIP AWARDEES ANNOUNCED
[SOURCE: Department of Agriculture, AUTHOR: Press release]
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the funding of new Recovery Act broadband infrastructure projects that will create jobs and provide access to improved Internet service to rural residents in northern Mississippi, central Arkansas, eastern Colorado, and southwest Nevada.
A $2.63 million award will allow The Digital Bridge Corporation to bring affordable, fourth-generation broadband services to rural portions of Panola and Quitman Counties (MS) lacking high-speed access. The network stands to benefit approximately 18,200 people, more than 1,300 businesses, and 87 community institutions where 74 percent of the premises are without high-speed access. The project will cover 191 square miles. In addition to the six jobs created or retained, the company estimates this project will create, it will provide a foundation for economic growth and job creation for decades to come. Funding is contingent upon the recipient meeting the terms of the loan, grant or loan/grant agreement.
The $7.3 million award for Arkansas, with more than $2.4 million in private investment, will allow The Windstream Corporation to provide digital telephone, high-speed Internet and high-definition video and entertainment services to residential and business customers. The network stands to benefit approximately 15,000 people, more than 330 businesses and 33 anchor institutions that otherwise may never enjoy the benefits of broadband. In addition to the 122 jobs created or retained, the company estimates this project will create, it will provide a foundation for economic growth and job creation for decades to come.
In Colorado a 791,947 award, matched by $245,510 in private funding, will allow The Willard Telephone Company to upgrade its facilities to offer Fiber to the Home in the Willard Community, a non-designated community in northeastern Colorado. The network stands to benefit approximately 1,900 people, eight businesses, a fire department, and two military facilities, all of which lack high-speed Internet access. The project will cover 132 square miles with 93 miles of fiber-optic cable. This area of farm and ranch land has an average density of 0.7 premises per square mile. In addition to the 11 jobs the company estimates this project will create, it will provide a foundation for economic growth and job creation for decades to come.
Finally, in Nevada, a $7.75 million award, matched by $148,500 in private contribution, will allow the Arizona Nevada Tower Corporation to offer a state-of-the-art microwave radio backbone and middle-mile system to provide significant bandwidth to WISPS, anchor institutions and enterprise users. The project will provide highly reliable and scalable broadband transport to enhance existing fiber-optic cable or where fiber-optic cable is not available to serve users living outside of Washoe and Clark counties. Approximately 41,000 people stand to benefit, as do approximately 186 businesses and community institutions in 15 service areas. In addition to the eight jobs the company estimates this project will create, it will provide a foundation for economic growth and job creation for decades to come.
benton.org/node/42907 | Mississippi | Arkansas | Colorado | Nevada
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ISP CHALLENGES BROADBAND STIMULUS PROJECT
[SOURCE: Charleston Gazatte, AUTHOR: Eric Eyre]
Jim Martin, president of West Virginia broadband provider Citynet, alleges that a $126 million broadband stimulus award from the federal government isn't being spent as the federal grant intended. Martin said the grant money should be used to build a "middle-mile" broadband network that Citynet and other telecommunications' companies could tap into. Instead, the state is giving $40 million to Frontier Communications, a Citynet competitor, to construct a "last-mile" network that benefits only Frontier, Martin said. The network would run to libraries, schools, health-care facilities, and fire and police departments, which, in turn, would pay Frontier for broadband service. "Frontier is going to have the state's business forever," Martin said. "No other company will have the money to come in and build the network." Bridgeport-based Citynet applied for $34 million in stimulus funds to build a "middle-mile" network, but it's application was rejected. Martin has said his complaint isn't "sour grapes."
benton.org/node/42894 | Charleston Gazatte
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MORE NEWS FROM THE HILL

TV AD VOLUME
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Gautham Nagesh]
The Senate passed a bill Sept 29 that would create limits on the volume of television commercials and put the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in charge of regulating them. The Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act (CALM) is an attempt to put an end to TV commercials that are many times louder than regular programming, a problem that has annoyed viewers for decades. The bill passed the House in December and will have to go back there for one last vote before President Obama is expected to sign it into law. "Every American has likely experienced the frustration of abrasively loud television commercials," said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), who introduced the bill in the Senate. "While this may be an effective way for ads to grab attention, it also adds unnecessary stress to the daily lives of many Americans. Last night's action in the Senate will help end this annoying practice." The bill's original author, Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), said that she intended for the legislation to give control of sound back to consumers. The bill would limit commercials to the same level of volume as the shows they interrupt.
benton.org/node/42903 | Hill, The | TechDailyDose
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TELEWORK BILL
[SOURCE: nextgov, AUTHOR: Emily Long]
On Sept 29, the Senate unanimously approved compromise legislation to expand telecommuting opportunities governmentwide. The bill, H.R. 1722, requires federal agencies within 180 days to determine employees' eligibility to telework, establish policies under which those personnel are allowed to work remotely and develop written agreements with authorized employees. The legislation also requires agencies to integrate telework into their continuity of operations plans and to train managers, supervisors and employees on the new policies.
benton.org/node/42896 | nextgov
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HEALTH

CELL PHONE SAFETY
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Cecilia Kang]
The Federal Communications Commission has updated its views on cellphone safety in a move criticized by a public interest group for downplaying the potential risks that radio frequencies could pose to users. The agency, without issuing a press release, made the update on its Web site, saying that its guidelines on radio frequency limits were confusing and did not necessarily show whether one phone is safer than another. Specifically, the FCC revamped its Web entry on cell phone health guidelines, removing a suggestion that users concerned about the radiation emitted from cellphones could choose devices with lower SAR values. SAR stands for "specific absorption rate," which is a measure of the rate of radio-frequency energy absorbed by the body. Scientists say the higher the SAR, the greater the potential danger to humans. To be sure, scientists do not agree on the effects of cellphone use on humans. Some studies show that radio frequencies absorbed by brain tissue have led to cell mutations and tumors ­ with the greatest threat posed to children. The Environmental Working Group says the FCC's changes mimic a message pushed by CTIA, the wireless industry lobbying group.
benton.org/node/42927 | Washington Post
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TELEPHONY

FCC RELEASES STUDY ON TELEPHONE TRENDS
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: ]
The Federal Communications Commission released its Trends in Telephone Service report, which summarizes in one convenient reference source information published in various reports over the course of the past year. The report provides answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the telephone industry coming from consumers, members of Congress, other government agencies, telecommunications carriers, and members of the business and academic communities.
read the report
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TELEVISION

SPORTS LIMITS CORD CUTTING
[SOURCE: ars technica, AUTHOR: Jacqui Cheng]
Cord-cutters are no threat to the subscription TV industry as long as sports fans are around. BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield conducted a survey of 1,200 multichannel TV subscribers and found that only a tiny percentage were likely to ditch their cable or satellite TV subscriptions in favor of online video, even though many more said they had considered it. The draw of live sports and premium shows is just too much for couch potatoes, and is likely to stay that way for years to come. According to Greenfield's survey, 37 percent said they had at least thought about canceling their subscriptions and going online-only in order to save money. If it meant losing out on live sports or other favorite shows (particularly those that show live results), however, that number dropped to just eight percent. And, upon further examination of the data, Greenfield estimated that only five percent or less were actually willing to follow through on that claim, despite it apparently being "cool" to cut the cord. It turns out that 93.5 percent of the households surveyed by Greenfield said that they regularly watch football, and 68.4 percent watch baseball. Other favorites include Mad Men (which, by the way, is available next-day on iTunes), American Idol (broadcast TV, no cable required), House (broadcast), Glee (broadcast), True Blood (OK, you got us there with an HBO show, though it does show up on iTunes after the season is over), and Dancing with the Stars (broadcast). Judging by that list, it definitely seems as if the sports are indeed the major draw for keeping cable TV around, since almost all of the other shows can be watched within a reasonable time frame without cable.
benton.org/node/42899 | Ars Technica
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CABLECARD STATS
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Todd Spangler]
The 10 biggest U.S. cable operators have deployed more than 22.75 million leased set-top boxes with CableCards since the Federal Communications Commission's integrated set-top ban went into effect in July 2007 -- a rule the cable industry claims has cost more than $1 billion to no discernable effect. Meanwhile, those same cable operators have deployed approximately 531,000 CableCards for use in retail devices such as TiVo DVRs, according to figures supplied by the National Cable & Telecommunications Association to the Federal Communications Commission. The agency has proposed adding new requirements on MSOs with respect to CableCards, including: "more transparent" billing for CableCards; a simplified installation processes; CableCards that can tune multiple streams; and a streamlined CableCard device-certification process. The NCTA has argued that the integrated set-top ban should be nixed, particularly because the FCC is looking at adopting an "AllVid" requirement applying to all pay-TV providers that would supersede CableCards. However, the group has maintained the industry will continue to support CableCard-based consumer-electronics devices.
benton.org/node/42926 | Multichannel News
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BBG VISION FOR INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING
[SOURCE: Broadcasting Board of Governors, AUTHOR: Press release]
Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) Chairman Walter Isaacson laid out his vision for the future of U.S. international broadcasting in a keynote address as part of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's 60th Anniversary. Acknowledging the newly-appointed Board's launch of a year-long comprehensive review, Isaacson described the creation of "a great virtual global news service" that would provide reliable reporting for every medium, including social media created by members of BBG broadcasters' global audience. As he outlined his imperatives for engaging citizens with limited access to news and information, Isaacson repeatedly stressed the importance of credibility in news broadcasting, noting that "trustworthy journalism" would pay dividends for U.S. foreign policy objectives.
benton.org/node/42893 | Broadcasting Board of Governors
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PRIVACY

A NEW CULTURAL NORM
[SOURCE: National Public Radio, AUTHOR: JJ Sutherland]
In the tragic story of Tyler Clementi, the gay Rutgers student who took his own life last week, one of the things that leaps out is the collision of technology and morals. If you haven't heard the story, Clementi's roommate Dharun Ravi reportedly activated the webcam on his laptop and broadcast Clementi and another man having sex, and he shared it with the world, live. He allegedly tweeted about it, chatted about it, and invited others to watch when he thought Clementi would be having sex again. Clementi found out, and a few days later he threw himself off of the George Washington Bridge. In case after case, it seems that technology has moved so quickly, and made communicating and sharing so easy, there is little check on the emotional id before doing something you might regret later, or saying things you would never say face to face, or acting in a way you wouldn't in real life.
benton.org/node/42922 | National Public Radio
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DO YOU REALLY CARE ABOUT PRIVACY?
[SOURCE: Fast Company, AUTHOR: Seth Godin]
[Commentary] Care about privacy? Godin's not sure you do. If you cared about privacy you wouldn't have a credit card, because, after all, they know everything you spend money on. And you wouldn't use the phone, because somewhere, there's a computer scanning what you say. What most of us care about is being surprised. What many people miss about privacy and Facebook is that the company has always taken the position that privacy shouldn't be assumed. Sure, they've mishandled some of their user communications and feature rollouts, but basically, they offer the religion of no-privacy, and an entire generation or two is ready to grow up in public as a result. We're just not eager to be surprised along the way.
benton.org/node/42921 | Fast Company
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FCC REFORM

FCC'S DISPOSITION OF PETITIONS
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: Michael Marcus]
The right to petition the federal government is one guaranteed by the 1st Amendment. The Federal Communications Commission has implemented this requirement, but all this means nothing if petitions fall into an administrative black hole where they can not be seen, let alone acted on! Petitions apparently go to bureaus and offices and just sit around until someone decides to act on them -- or not. One always has the options of going to the District Court and asking for a writ of mandamus, but that is possibly the only option. Since the existence of these petitions can be secret, it is difficult for interested 3rd parties to find out about them and try to pressure/embarrass the FCC into acting.
Some modest suggestions:
The FCC create an internal tracking systems for such petitions and report all filings to all commissioners within a month of filing.
The FCC create a public tracking system, analogous to the FCC Items on Circulation webpage, that documents all petitions more than 3 months old that have not been acted on and makes the text available for public inspection. This need not be a Public Notice requesting comment, just an acknowledgement that the petition has been filed and is under review.
benton.org/node/42895 | Public Knowledge
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MEDIA & ELECTIONS

TECHNOLOGY AND CAMPAIGNS
[SOURCE: Fast Company, AUTHOR: Austin Carr]
Taking cues from our tech-savvy President's playbook, some candidates in next month's midterm elections are tapping a new social networking tool to connect with constituents: Gowalla, a service that lets its users check in via smartphone to share their locations with friends and earn colorful digital "stamps." The Texas-based company has come out with a campaign tool kit that's designed to draw potential voters to town halls and fund-raisers. Governors Charlie Crist of Florida and Rick Perry of Texas are among the earliest adopters of the technology, which enables their campaigns to schedule events on Gowalla and reward supporters with candidate-branded badges for attending and checking in -- a big incentive for the social network's users, who make a game of collecting stamps in their "virtual passports."
benton.org/node/42892 | Fast Company
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STORIES FROM ABROAD

EUROPE'S STRONGER CYBERLAWS
[SOURCE: ZDNet UK, AUTHOR: David Meyer]
Europe is to strengthen its cybersecurity legislation in the context of increasingly powerful attacks, the European Commission said. New regulations are proposed that would see the perpetrators of cyberattacks and the producers of related and malicious software prosecuted, and criminal sanctions increased to a maximum two-year sentence. European countries would also be obliged to respond quickly to requests for help when cyberattacks are perpetrated, and new pan-European criminal offences will be created for the "illegal interception of information systems".The European Network and Information Security Agency (Enisa), which has been operational for the last five years, will also be modernised and strengthened to help countries and private stakeholders prevent and combat cyberattacks. The proposals will have to be passed by the European Parliament and Council of Ministers if they are to come into effect.
benton.org/node/42891 | ZDNet UK
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