OVERNIGHT TECH: Senate cybersecurity bill drops Tuesday

THE LEDE: The Senate Homeland Security Committee will unveil its long-awaited comprehensive cybersecurity legislation on Tuesday, nine months after the White House came out in support of new security regulations for private firms deemed crucial to national security. The legislation would task the Department of Homeland Security with determining which sectors of the economy would be covered by the new rules and allow those sectors to appeal the decision. DHS would then create performance requirements that private firms must comply with or face unspecified penalties. 

The legislation appears to have broad support in the Senate, though some Republicans have raised concerns about the impact of such regulation on economic growth. But the House has been marching to the beat of a different drum, focusing mostly on industry incentives for information sharing. Observers say it's unlikely the lower chamber will have the appetite to pass sweeping new cybersecurity regulations ahead of this fall's election.

Regulators OK Google-Motorola deal: The U.S. Justice Department and the European Commission approved Google's $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility on Monday.

The acquisition gives Google a foothold in the mobile phone industry and could boost its Android mobile operating system. Google also gains access to Motorola’s trove of patents, which it can use to fend off lawsuits from Apple and other competitors.

Regulators did not attach any conditions to the deal, saying it was unlikely to harm competition. But both agencies said Google's use of standard-essential patents could raise concerns.

In a statement, Microsoft encouraged regulators to keep a close watch on its competitor.

“We are encouraged that the U.S. Department of Justice and the European Commission both have raised concerns about the misuse of standard-essential patents and Google’s failure to address this issue in a satisfactory way," Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith said in a statement. "This underscores the importance of further regulatory scrutiny.”

ICYMI:

Netflix acknowledged on Friday it paid $9 million to settle a lawsuit alleging it violated video privacy laws.

Apple announced Monday that an outside labor-rights group will evaluate working conditions at its Chinese factories.

Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) urged Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski to move forward with his agency's review of controversial wireless start-up LightSquared.

---