Technology

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.

Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas) this week proposed new legislation that would terminate part of a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program that Republicans say is improperly used by phone companies to offer customers free cellphone service.

Farenthold says his bill, the Lifeline Reform Act, would save about $500 million annually.

"These 'free' cellphones come at cost to hardworking American taxpayers because the program is funded by a tax on phone service," Farenthold said. "Ending duplicative and wasteful government programs will save taxpayers money and put our country back on a path to fiscal prosperity."

Online discounter Groupon has offered Congress assurances that it is ensuring the privacy of its users.

The Obama administration on Tuesday sent the House a notice saying it has extended an "emergency" for another year that will ensure the continuation of legal authority for maintaining U.S. export controls on certain "dual use" goods, or those that have both civilian and military applications.

The notice, which was read in a quick pro forma session of the House late Tuesday morning, said the administration would extend the emergency related to the lapse of the Export Administration Act (EAA) for one year, until Aug. 17, 2012.

A plan by Senate Democrats to approve a House-passed patent reform bill in September is a likely sign that U.S. patent holders have lost this year's fight to end "fee diversion," or using patent fees to fund other federal government programs instead of adding capacity at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to deal with a growing patent-application backlog.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Tuesday filed for cloture on the House-passed bill, H.R. 1249, and said the measure would be among the first the Senate takes up in September. Both the House and Senate are in recess until early September.