Senate Commerce panel approves cybersecurity bill

The Senate Commerce Committee unanimously advanced an industry-backed bill aimed at boosting the nation's cybersecurity, paving the way for a full Senate vote on the measure before the end of the year.

The bill -- authored by Senate Commerce leaders Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and John Thune (R-SD) -- would codify a section of President Obama's cybersecurity order that tasks the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standard and Technology (NIST) to work with businesses to craft a framework of cybersecurity best practices and standards. NIST has already held a set of workshops with industry groups across the country to start drafting the framework, which is due in October. The bill stays away from the thornier issues in the cybersecurity debate, such as setting security standards for companies that operate critical infrastructure and improving information-sharing about cyber threats, because they lay outside the Commerce panel's jurisdiction. Specifically, the measure does not require companies to adopt the best practices and standards that are included in NIST's final framework. The bill has received backing from a wide range of industry groups, including USTelecom and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, for its non-regulatory approach. The bill would also boost cybersecurity research and development, education and public awareness about cyber threats.