On February 1, the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity approved by voice vote an amended version of HR 3674, the Promoting and Enhancing Cybersecurity and Information Sharing Effectiveness (PRECISE) Act of 2011. In keeping with the House Cybersecurity Task Force Report released last year, the bill focuses on improving and incentivizing information sharing between the government and the critical infrastructure on cyber threats and incidents. PRECISE would establish DHS as lead federal agency for the coordination of federal and critical infrastructure cybersecurity efforts, the development of a national cybersecurity strategy, and the formulation of voluntary cybersecurity guidelines. Read more »

At a March 30th hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee on the need for a nationwide interoperable public safety broadband network, William Carrow, President of the Association of Public Safety Communications Officers (APCO) recognized the important role of utilities in emergency response.  Based on his experience in Delaware, Carrow stated that their statewide public safety radio system for mutual aid assistance includes local utilities in the event of major disasters like the three snowstorms that hit his state this year.  "They [utilities] become at many times more 'first responder' than we are.  If you don't have electricity and you don't have the wherewithal to get the job done, we have to rely on them." 

Rep. Pete King, chair of the committee, has introduced legislation to allocate the 700 MHz D-block to public safety to be combined with the original 10 MHz in the 700 MHz band given to public safety to create a nationwide interoperable public safety broadband network.  Chairman King referenced a recent study by the Phoenix Center that contends that $3.4 billion could be saved by assigning the  D block to public safety, rather than auction.  The Phoenix  Center is a 501(c)(3) organization funded in part by the major commercial service providers.   

Allocation of the D-block to public safety has been gaining momentum, with the White House, DHS, and most recently, the 9/11 Commission chair and vice chair adding their endorsement at a hearing before the Senate Homeland Security Committee yesterday. 

Joining Carrow at the witness table was Gregory Simay with the Burbank Water and Power Company and At-Large Director on the Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communication Systems Authority  (LARICS).  That system enables interoperable communications throughout Los Angeles County.  He cautioned that the allocation of the 700 MHz spectrum is a good first step, but until the 700 MHz network supports voice, UHF systems will still be needed for interoperability.   (HR 607 would require all public safety systems to migrate to the 700 MHz band, giving up their UHF spectrum for auction by the FCC.) 

Among the leaked diplomatic cables and documents released by WikiLeaks is a secret list of infrastructure-related facilities and topics whose loss or attack by terrorists could "critically impact" U.S. security in the view of the State Department. According to CNN, the list mentions dams close to the U.S. border and a telecommunications hub whose destruction might seriously disrupt global communications. Read more »

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.