OVERNIGHT TECH: House GOP releases draft of spectrum bill ahead of Friday's hearing

By Gautham Nagesh - 07/13/11 06:48 PM ET

THE LEDE: The House Energy and Commerce telecom subpanel released a discussion draft of spectrum legislation on Wednesday that would auction off the D block of spectrum and authorize the Federal Communications Commission to conduct a single incentive auction with protections for broadcasters from being forced to surrender their airwaves. The bill would also auction off the unused spectrum between TV channels known as white spaces, which the FCC had previously moved to open up for unlicensed use.

Public Knowledge legal director Harold Feld slammed the draft bill, arguing it would gut the FCC's net-neutrality regulations and allow broadcasters to choose which rules they follow. The subcommittee will hold a hearing on Friday to discuss the legislation, featuring representatives from the wireless industry, broadcasters, the San Jose Police Department and New America Foundation.

News Corp. scandal reaches the U.S.: Several Senate Democrats and the Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee called for the government to investigate allegations that News Corp. subsidiary News of the World bribed law enforcement and hacked phone records of 9/11 victims. Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) called the allegations revolting and asked the FBI to investigate. In separate letters, Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) asked the Securities ad Exchange Committee and Justice Department to investigate the accusations of bribery and unauthorized wiretapping.

Bono Mack to probe smartphone security: The British phone-hacking scandal has also prompted Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.) to contact Apple, Google, AT&T and other firms to discuss the security features included on their smartphones to prevent similar unauthorized breaches.

Lieberman shoots down idea of cybersecurity select committee: Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) told Senate leaders they oppose a proposal from Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to form a temporary Select Committee on Cyber Security and Electronic Intelligence Leaks. The senators note they have been working on comprehensive cybersecurity legislation for more than two years, and argue "it would be a real mistake and a waste of time to restart the process when so much work has already been done." The pair welcome amendments to their comprehensive cybersecurity bill from McCain or other colleagues.

House Appropriations Committee scraps space telescope: The full House Appropriations Committee approved a NASA budget plan on Wednesday that would eliminate funding for the James Webb Space Telescope, successor to the Hubble telescope. NASA has already spent $3 billion developing the device, but the total cost is expected to reach $6.8 billion. The telescope was designed to see objects that were created just after the Big Bang that spawned the universe. The scientific community has strongly opposed the cuts.

Senators want new laws to fight cramming: Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) promised Wednesday to introduce legislation that would curb unauthorized charges on consumers' phone bills, a practice known as “cramming.” A yearlong investigation by the committee uncovered numerous examples of of practice. The hearing came just one day after the Federal Communications Commission proposed new rules to help consumers identify unauthorized charges on their phone bills.

White House app competition targets sexual assault: The White House challenged software developers on Wednesday to create an application to help young adults prevent sexual assault and dating violence. The competition, called “Apps Against Abuse,” encourages developers to create applications that allow women to designate trusted friends or emergency contacts and to check in with those contacts, especially in an emergency.

GLAAD pulls support for AT&T/T-Mobile merger: The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) withdrew its support of the pending AT&T merger with T-Mobile on Wednesday in the wake of a controversy that has already led to the resignation of the organization's president and much of its board of directors. The reversal came after several weeks of intense criticism from gay-rights bloggers and activists, who questioned why GLAAD was involved in telecommunications issues.

ON TAP THURSDAY:

The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittees on Commerce, Manufacturing and Technology will hold a joint hearing Thursday on Internet privacy featuring representatives from the Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission and National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Reps. Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.) and Greg Walden (R-Ore.) will focus on existing laws to identify key issues for upcoming privacy legislation. Bono Mack and Walden have said the hearing is the first in a series that will examine Internet privacy issues. Momentum for comprehensive privacy legislation has been building on both sides of the aisle in recent months.

The Senate Commerce Science subpanel will hold a Thursday hearing to discuss the potential of nanotechnology and debate the reauthorization of the National Nanotechnology Initiative. Representatives from Northwestern, West Virginia and Rice universities are expected along with Chuck Romine, acting associate director of laboratory programs at the National Institute for Standards and Technology.

The House Oversight Committee’s Technology subpanel will hold an afternoon hearing on transparency and federal management IT systems that will likely include discussion of the Obama administration's previous efforts to publish data on government technology spending through the IT Dashboard. Outgoing federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra is expected to discuss cuts to the E-Government fund that have imperiled the future of the site.