Technology

House Republicans next week plan to move legislation that would slow the ability of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to release regulations affecting the communications industry, mostly by requiring the agency to study the market more carefully and giving the industry more time to react to and comment on new rules.

The Federal Communications Process Reform act, H.R. 3309, was approved by the House Energy & Commerce Committee earlier this month and is seen by Republicans as a way to ensure that the communications industry continues to grow with as few hurdles as possible from federal regulators.

Reps. Joe Baca (D-Calif.) and Frank Wolf (R-Va.) on Monday introduced a bill that would require most video games to bear a warning label that says, "WARNING: Exposure to violent video games has been linked to aggressive behavior."

The Violence in Video Games Labeling Act, H.R. 4204, is a reaction to what the two members say is increasing evidence that playing violent games can have a serious, long-lasting impact on children, which should require a health warning to consumers.

The chairman and ranking member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee have proposed legislation that would give astronauts from the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs clear ownership of any artifacts they might have retained from the missions.

The bill is a reaction to plans at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to collect various items from space flight missions that astronauts had previously been allowed to keep.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who chairs the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, on Monday proposed legislation aimed at encouraging private companies to share information with the government on the cyber threats they face.

The Cybersecurity Information Sharing act, S. 2101, would protect companies from the liability they could face for sharing information.

Proposed legislation that consumers feared would have allowed "robocalls" to be forwarded to their cellphones was by far the most attention-grabbing bill of 2011, according to the nonpartisan website POPVOX.

POPVOX allows voters to comment directly on legislation and allow Congress to see general sentiment toward its proposals. Since Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb.) introduced the Mobile Informational Call Act, H.R. 3035, in September, the bill received more than 10,000 comments on POPVOX, almost all of which were negative.

POPVOX received 10,450 comments against the bill, and just 87 for it.

The bill would eliminate the option taxpayers have to donate $3 of their tax payments to a campaign fund.

The two U.S. senators from Connecticut on Monday introduced a bill that would end the ability of any state to tax income earned by telecommuters who are not physically located in that state.

Sens. Joe Lieberman (I) and Richard Blumenthal (D) said the Telecommuter Tax Fairness Act, S. 1811, would help encourage telecommuting, which could create jobs, relieve traffic congestion and reduce the demand for gasoline.

The House on Tuesday evening approved a non-controversial bill aimed at keeping state taxes low on wireless phone service companies.

By voice vote, the House approved H.R. 1002, the Wireless Fairness Act. That bill would impose a five-year moratorium on new "discretionary" state and local taxes. Supporters of the bill argue that states have jacked up taxes on these companies over the last decade, and that the companies suffer from a local tax burden that is several times higher than other companies face.

More than 70 Democrats supported the bill, and as such, passage under a suspension of House rules was not in doubt.

Rep. John Campbell (R-Calif.) and five other members of the House have proposed the establishment of a new regulatory structure for low-volume automakers.

Sponsors of the Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act, H.R. 3274, say the bill is needed because these smaller companies find it difficult to comply with the costly rules and regulations created with large manufacturers in mind.

The Senate begins work this week on a spending bill that would set up a new $10 million grant program aimed at helping states combat "distracted driving," which focuses on texting behind the wheel.

"While there is no definitive data as to how many distracted driving deaths and injuries are caused by cell phone use and texting, 20 percent of the drivers involved in fatal accidents in 2009 were either using or in the presence of a cell phone at the time of the crash, and there is reason to be concerned about whether the recent rise in distracted driving fatalities is linked to the increasing use of electronic devices," according to report language for S. 1596, the 2012 spending bill for the Department of Transportation and other agencies.