Reps. Mary Bono Mack (R-Ca.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) introduced a House bill yesterday that would let government agencies and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) communicate about cyber threats. Reuters reports that the bill would increase “penalties for hacking into servers and [it] removes roadblocks that prevent government security experts from discussing threats with their counterparts at Internet service providers and other companies.”
Sen. John McCain introduced a similar bill in the Senate earlier in the month. The article goes on to address Rep. Langevin’s (D-R.I.) thoughts. Similar to other Democrats, he “called the Bono Mack bill thoughtful, but inadequate. In particular, he criticized its reliance on a voluntary approach to address vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure such as the electric grid.” Lawmakers agree that something has to be done about the looming cybersecurity threat, but with multiple competing bills on the docket, it’s hard to imagine any gaining enough momentum to pass before the 2012 election season ends.
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