Congress faces a relatively brief session this year, with the autumn election portending a timely adjournment, but several IT issues will demand lawmakers' attention. The top contenders will be cyber-security, Internet taxes and spyware.
To the relief of many in the IT industry, the private sector appears to be sidestepping an attempt to legislate network security audit reports. Last year, Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Fla., floated the idea of requiring publicly traded companies to file security audit reports, much like they filed reports on Y2K efforts. Putnam's primary concern was that senior managers and corporate boards were not sufficiently accountable for information security.
In November, Putnam asked representatives from several industry sectors, including IT, manufacturing, financial services and telecommunications, to present alternative plans for addressing the vulnerabilities in corporate networks.
Much of the industry is also concerned about unintended consequences of legislation drafted to curb spyware.
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