Threats to systems supporting critical infrastructure — including the smart grid — are constantly “evolving and growing” and as a result have been termed “government-wide high-risk areas” by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Testifying before the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s oversight and investigations panel, Gregory Wilshusen, director of the GAO’s Information Security Issues team, shared his concerns about the security of the infrastructure. The written testimony observes that smart meters are among those devices that have not been “designed with a strong security architecture and lack important security features.” Further, he remarked that utility companies are often unaware of imminent threats or incidents on their systems because some of that intelligence is classified and cannot be shared with them.

Rep. Greg Walden, chair of the Subcommittee on Communications of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, has announced that the subcommittee will hold a mark-up of spectrum legislation on Thursday, December 1.  The bill, named the Jumpstarting Opportunity with Broadband Spectrum (JOBS) Act of 2011, will include spectrum to be auctioned for commercial wireless services, as well as the creation of a Public Safety Broadband Network (PSBN) in the 700 MHz band. Read more »

While the Senate Commerce Committee is expected to approve a bill allocating the 700 MHz D block to public safety on June 8, the House Energy and Commerce Committee has only just begun consideration of the issue, holding the first of four hearings on Wednesday, May 25, 2011.   

Witness at the hearing included representatives from the ARRL (ham radio), Motorola, Harris, Direction (representing commercial interests), Telephone and Data Systems, and the Public Safety Alliance (PSA).  Read more »

The Senate Commerce Committee has postponed its March 29th hearing on the economic implications of cyber threats and vulnerabilities to the private sector.  No new date has been set.  Also, the buzz about a hearing on spectrum policy proved unfounded: it did not make it onto the Committee's agenda for this week, but may be held in the weeks to come.
The Senate Homeland Security Committee does intend to hold a hearing on Wednesday, March 30 on "Ten Years After 9/11: A Report From the 9/11 Commission Chairmen".  Testifying will be Tom Kean and Lee Hamilton, the Chair and Vice Chair of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States.  The status of the Commission's recommendations, including the call for the creation of a nationwide interoperable public safety network will be the focus.  Expect more of these hearings in the run-up to the Tenth Anniversary of September 11th. 
On the House side, there is talk of an upcoming Energy and Commerce (E&C)Committee hearing on spectrum policy, including the 700 MHz D block, on April 13th.  Information on witnesses is not available at this time.  The House Homeland Security Committee hearing on public safety communications needs is still on schedule for Wednesday, March 30. 

The U.S. House of Representatives has confirmed Fred Upton (R-MI) as the Chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee and Peter King (R-NY) as the Chair of the Homeland Security Committee.

In a recent op-ed in POLITICO, Upton called for energy security to be a priority for the upcoming Congress. He also pushed for oil-drilling in the controversial Arctic National Wildlife Range (ANWR) in Alaska and for deploying more nuclear plants. To that end, Upton has fully supported the American Energy Act (H.R. 2846) which calls for licensing 100 new nuclear reactors over the next 20 years. Upton advocated diversifying the national energy portfolio which would also include pushing more coal, natural gas and renewables.

High on Rep. King's agenda is cybersecurity and strengthening public safety communications. King is the main sponsor of H.R. 5081, Broadband for First Responders Act, which calls for allocating the 700 MHz D-Block for public safety and first responders. King is also looking to pass a comprehensive cybersecurity bill that would authorize the Department of Homeland Security with necessary guidance tools and power to penalize non-compliant entities and direct threats to national security. King expects his efforts to bolster national cybersecurity by fortifying the defenses of federal networks and promoting partnerships with the private sector to protect against cyberattacks.

 The FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau plans to issue a public notice exploring whether promoting competition in the public safety communications market would help public safety agencies. This was disclosed in a letter from FCC Chairman Julius Genachowskito the Chairs and ranking members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and its Communications, Technology, and the Internet subcommittee. In the letter, Genachowski said that the competition public notice would “seek comment on whether and to what extent the interoperability for public safety narrowband voice communications has been hindered by a lack of competition in equipment and device availability, and how this can be remedied in the future." Regarding broadband communications, he said, "The current structure of the public safety equipment market may hinder efforts to achieve interoperability for a broadband public safety network. To remedy this state of affairs, the National Broadband Plan recommended an incentive-based partnership approach that leverages commercial technology and economies of scale, including the commercial deployment of a broadband wireless network using the D block." 

Meanwhile, Reps. Jane Harman (D- CA) and John Shimkus (R-IL) have introduced legislation titled "Next Generation Public Safety Device Act of 2010" that seeks to spur competition and innovation in the public safety broadband equipment market through a $70 million grant competition. Rep. Harman is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the chairwoman of the House Homeland Security Committee's intelligence, information sharing, and terrorism risk assessment subcommittee. The proposed legislation would authorize a $70 million grant competition, overseen by the NTIA, for developing and making prototype voice and data handsets and vehicle-portable public safety 700 megahertz band devices. NTIA would hold the contest in consultation with the FCC, NIST and the DHS Office of Emergency Communications.