OVERNIGHT TECH: Cybersecurity debate shifts to the House

By Gautham Nagesh - 05/24/11 06:15 PM ET

THE LEDE: The House will weigh in on the cybersecurity debate Wednesday, with both the House Judiciary and Oversight committees holding hearings on the topic. Expect House Republicans to focus on how much authority the White House's recent proposed legislative language gives the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over private-sector networks and how the agency plans to decide which firms constitute core critical infrastructure, making them subject to additional requirements and oversight.

First up is the House Judiciary subpanel on Intellectual Property, chaired by Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), featuring witnesses from the Department of Justice, National Institute of Standards and Technology and DHS, along with some of the usual suspects from the private sector. The Oversight panel's subcommittee on National Security, chaired by Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) will hear testimony from Rear Adm. Michael A. Brown, director of cybersecurity coordination at DHS's National Protection and Programs Directorate, along with noted cybersecurity expert Jim Lewis of the Center for Strategic and International Studies and TechAmerica President Phil Bond.

House Republicans will have a significant say in any comprehensive cyberbill, but appear willing to work with Senate leadership to pass something in the near future. Both parties have indicated they view cybersecurity as a bipartisan, national security issue, with the recent wave of high-profile hacker attacks adding urgency to the legislative push on the Hill.

Barton offers hope to online poker supporters: Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) said Tuesday that he's planning to introduce legislation that would legalize and regulate online poker, and hopes the measure can pass both chambers of Congress this session. Barton said he has spoken to the leadership of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, including Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.), and plans to move a bill through the committee in the near future.

ICE shuts down ten more gambling sites: Even as online poker supporters were rallying on the Hill, DHS and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement were touting their seizure of 10 more domains in connection with online gambling, including the popular online poker site Doylesroom.com. The other sites that were seized: Bookmaker.com, 2Betsdi.com, Funtimebingo.com, Goldenarchcasino.com, Truepoker.com, Betmaker.com, Betgrandesports.com, Betehorse.com, and betED.com.

Techies You Should Know: Tuesday's print edition of The Hill featured a profile of White House deputy cybersecurity coordinator Sameer Bhalotra, who helped craft the Obama administration's recent detailed cybersecurity legislative guidance. Bhalotra landed the job as cyberczar Howard Schmidt's top deputy after first spending four years on the Senate Intel Committee and earning a Ph.D. in physics from Stanford.

On Tap Wednesday: House Judiciary ranking member John Conyers (D-Mich.) will hold a press conference on the impact of AT&T's proposed acquisition of T-Mobile on consumers at noon in Rayburn. Scheduled participants include representatives from Free Press, Public Knowledge and Consumers Union.

D Block: The Hill's Sara Jerome reports that the House Energy and Commerce Communications subcommittee will hold a hearing to receive input from those who say public-safety groups need to be given the valuable chunk of spectrum known as the D Block. The committee's Republicans are at odds with the Senate on how to proceed. Witnesses include representatives of the Western Fire Chiefs Association, the American Radio Relay League, Harris RF Communications Division and Telephone and Data Systems.

Sens. Klobuchar and Kohl grill AT&T on phantom phone bill charges: Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) and Herb Kohl (Wis.) wrote to AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson on Tuesday to ask about allegations the firm is charging customers for data usage even when they are not accessing those services. AT&T is facing a class-action lawsuit from customers over the issue; the letter comes two days before a House Judiciary hearing where Stephenson will head to the Hill to defend his company's proposed merger with T-Mobile.

"S&M" performance on Billboard awards draws ire of TV watchdog: The Parents Television Council is sounding the alarm over a racy performance during Sunday night's Billboard Music Awards that featured singers Rihanna and Britney Spears in bondage-themed costumes dancing around stripper poles. President Tim Winter issued a statement describing the primetime broadcast as almost suitable for the adult entertainment industry.

ICYMI:

The parent company of small wireless firm Cricket Communications is opposing the AT&T/T-Mobile merger.

Sara Jerome has a great piece on the National Association of Broadcasters and how the industry is handling the rise of the Web.

Former Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) will become the honorary co-chairman of the Internet Innovation Alliance, an AT&T-backed advocacy group.

A Boston attorney with no connection to Obama administration adviser Elizabeth Warren has registered ElizabethWarrenforSenate.com.