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Congressional Countdown
by Arik Hesseldahl

4:00 a.m. Oct. 1, 1998 PDT

Internet and technology issues take center stage Thursday before the Senate Commerce Committee, in a session that could lead to floor action on a
variety of bills. On the House side, piracy and anti-pornography measures await action.

The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (S 2326) would require the Federal Trade Commission to craft rules governing commercial Web sites and
how they collect information on children. The proposed legislation would require Web site operators to spell out their information collection practices and
obtain prior parental consent when seeking personal information from children under the age of 13. It would also allow parents to access and check such
information and curtail its use.

FTC Chairman Robert Pitofsky urged the Senate to pass the bill in testimony before a Senate subcommittee last week. In a report sent to Congress in June,
the FTC found that 90 percent of Web sites targeted at children solicited personal information, but only 1 percent obtained prior parental permission.

The Multichannel Video Competition Act of 1998 (S 2494) requires satellite TV providers to carry all local television stations, as all cable systems are
required to do, by 2002. A recent court decision opened up the possibility that many satellite TV subcribers might lose their access to network TV stations.
The bill would override that decision and direct the Federal Communications Commission to draft new rules for satellite providers in February 1999.

The Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act of 1998 (S 2519) would ensure that people can use 911 emergency services on wireless phones.
The bill also allocates research and development money for a system that would automatically notify emergency personnel in the event of a car crash.

The Community Broadcasters Protection Act of 1997 (S 1427) which would require the Federal Communications Commission to preserve low-power
television stations that provide community broadcasting.

The Computer Security Enhancement Act of 1997 (HR 1903) a bill from the House of Representatives that would enhance the abilities of the National
Institute of Standards and Technology to improve security on government computer systems. The bill also allocates US$450,000 for a federal study of
public key infrastructures.

"We're working with a bunch of different companies to determine what the minimum interoperability requirements are. That way we don't end up in a
situation where we have lots of companies selling cryptography systems that can't talk to each other," said Phil Bulman, an NIST spokesman.

The bill also provides for the establishment of a National Policy Panel for Digital Signatures, which will consider revising the digital signature standard
used by government agencies, Bulman said. The bill was passed by the House in September 1997.

In the House, the Online Child Protection Act (HR 3783), also known as CDA II, is awaiting action, having been passed by the House Commerce
Committee last week. A spokeswoman for Representative Michael Oxley, the Ohio Republican who introduced the bill, said House leaders have not yet
decided if the bill will be voted on.

If passed, the bill would require Web sites to restrict access to content deemed "harmful to minors" by people under the age of 17. A Senate version of the
bill (S 1482) was passed as an amendment to an appropriations bill this summer.

Another bill whose fate is undetermined is the controversial Collections of Information Anti-Piracy Act, which was tacked on to the House version of the
Digital Millennium Copyright Act (HR2281), but not to the Senate version. A conference committee is underway to reconcile the two versions of the act.

Sponsored by Representative Howard Noble (R-North Carolina), the Collections of Information portion of the bill restricts the use of database information
-- for example, sports statistics -- by anyone other than the party that gathered it. Critics say it would stifle many projects on the Internet that rely on
gathering information from multitudes of sources, which, when combined and reorganized, offer extra value to consumers. Critics also say the act creates a
whole new class of intellectual property law without any significant public debate on the matter.

The Federal Trade Commission has sent a letter to Congress addressing what it says are flaws in the legislation and urging that the anti-piracy language
be stricken in conference committee. Several online companies and non-profit organizations have joined the effort to amend the language, including
AT&T, Charles Schwab, Yahoo, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Related Wired Links:

Net Porn Bill Far From Resolved

25.Sep.98

Panel Endorses CDA's Daughter

18.Sep.98

Net Porn Issues Back in Session

10.Sep.98

Bill Sets Off Security Alarm

4.Aug.98

'CDA II' Passes Senate

24.Jul.98

Digital Copyright Bill Advances

30.Apr.98

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