NCTA praises Rockefeller-Snowe cybersecurity bill

The National Cable and Telecommunications Association on Thursday offered its endorsement of a cybersecurity bill introduced this week in the Senate.

In a statement this afternoon, NCTA President and CEO Kyle McSlarrow praised the legislation for creating incentives for "government and private sector networks to work together in identifying critical infrastructure and developing cyber emergency response plans."

That show of support is perhaps a good, early sign for Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine,) the legislation's authors. The two lawmakers -- who serve as chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the Senate Commerce Committee -- redrafted their cybersecurity bill and re-introduced it on Wednesday in response to intense industry criticism.

It is unclear how other lawmakers and trade groups might react to the bill, which would overhaul the country's piecemeal cybersecurity framework. But NCTA's McSlarrow praised it Thursday and promised to support the legislation in the coming months.

"We applaud Sens. Rockefeller and Snowe for moving ahead on legislation to address the critical security of our nation's cyber networks," McSlarrow said in a statement.

"Passage of the Rockefeller-Snowe Cybersecurity Act is a necessary and important step in protecting our national infrastructure and we look forward to working together with the Committee as this bill moves forward," he added.

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