A top Senate Democrat appropriator on Thursday declined to take much of a stance toward the White House's re-tooled NASA budget, though she did stress the United States could not afford to reinvent the agency every four years.

As the White House seeks to cancel most of NASA's manned-space flight program, provoking congressional outrage, Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) said during an appropriations hearing more investigation and research was needed before she could decide whether that was the correct course of action.

"I need to know more details. I want to know if this is the program that Congress and the American people are going to support from one administration to the next," said Mikulski, the chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science.

"We cannot reinvent NASA every four years. Every new president can't have a new NASA agenda," the senator stressed, noting she would convene as many hearing as necessary to learn more about the president's changes.

Outrage at the White House's 2011 NASA budget has long been pointed, as lawmakers have questioned the president's rationale for ending Constellation -- the program created by former President George W. Bush to send astronauts to the Moon and Mars.

While both the White House and NASA claim technology does not yet exist to complete those missions in the time frame Bush outlined, lawmakers from both parties have slapped the administration for stripping the agency of a long-term goal. President Barack Obama has since relaxed some of those proposed cuts, but even White House's revised budget proposal has invoked some lawmakers' ire.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) echoed those concerns during Thursday's appropriations hearing, stressing the administration's stance is "ironic considering [their] recent statements that the ultimate objective of our space program is Mars."

The Obama administration has signaled support for a bipartisan patent reform agreement in the Senate.

That compromise, brokered by Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), "improves the reported bill and incorporates critical elements of patent reform," Commerce Secretary Gary Locke wrote in a letter to the Judiciary Committee leaders on Tuesday.

The administration's show of support this week spells good news for the two lawmakers, who have long labored to craft their legislation in a way that satisfies tech companies and industry groups, not to mention other lawmakers.

Previously, those industry leaders carped that the bill insufficiently addressed damage awards for patent infringement, among other issues. Some pharmaceutical companies felt there should be no limits on those awards, while technology companies wanted significant limits.

While the two senators' changes somewhat address those concerns, skeptics do remain. House members are reportedly unhappy with the Senate's agreement -- an early signal the fight over patent reform is far from over.

However, Locke on Tuesday implored lawmakers to continue addressing their disagreements amicably in order to enact reform "this congressional session."

“Regardless of any issues that remain under discussion (between the House and Senate), there is a consensus that a strong patent system, including an appropriately funded and well-functioning United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), fosters innovation that drives economic growth and creates jobs,” Locke said in the letter.

Senators are dominating their House colleagues when it comes to maintaining the best websites for their constituents as the gap between the worst and the best websites rapidly widens, according to a new report. Read more...

The Commerce Department wants to know how privacy laws affect the pace of technology innovation.

Through a notice of inquiry today, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke launched an Internet Policy Task Force and is asking companies, academics and consumers to weigh in on whether the current privacy framework properly serves consumer interests.

In a press release, the department said the task force is exploring "ways to address the challenges of the new Internet economy and society in a manner that preserves and enhances privacy protection."

Read more...

WEDNESDAY BLOG ROUNDUP:
Facebook widens Net to tailor to broader Web - AP
Google acquires another piece of tablet puzzle - Brad Stone and Ashlee Vance, Bits
A killer app for the era of gotcha politics - Matthew Burton, techPresident
Bill would re-allocate spectrum for public safety use - Juliana Gruenwald, Tech Daily Dose
FCC tackles USF, doesn't talk reclassification - Cecilia Kang, Post Tech
The official ACTA draft and your reaction - Eric Bangerman, ars technica
Draft trade agreement worries tech companies - AP

OTHER STORIES FROM THE HILL:
AFL-CIO introduces online participation for Wall St. march - The Hill
FCC to commence broadband 'survivability' study - The Hill
Coburn blocks progress on spectrum bill - The Hill
Free Press: FCC used flawed data in broadband plan - The Hill

The AFL-CIO is adding an online component to its march on Wall Street planned for next Thursday.

The labor group is holding a "virtual march" that allows those who cannot attend the New York event to be represented by a marcher.

Those who want to participate can register online, according to an e-mail sent out to supporters, and the group will print out a sticker with the registrant's name for a marcher to carry during the rally.

"Help us send a message to all those who have been reckless on Wall Street and made people jobless on Main Street," the message reads. 

The march comes as the Senate is close to hearing on the floor a sweeping financial regulatory reform bill.

The AFL-CIO and other labor interests have long pushed for the legislation and has railed against Wall Street activities, more so since the 2008 financial crisis.

The FCC announced Wednesday it would study whether the country's broadband networks could handle "significant damage and severe overloads" that could result from terrorist attacks, massive security hacks or national disasters.

Interested parties have 45 days to offer comments on the "survivability" of the country's broadband infrastructure, and the ways that federal regulators can boost the nation's cybersecurity, the FCC noted during Wednesday's open meeting.

The commission described the inquiry in a release this afternoon as the "first step in ensuring the FCC can take all necessary actions to ensure ongoing communications in times of disaster or crisis."

"As Americans increasingly rely on broadband services for so many aspects of their lives, including public safety and national security, it is critical for the FCC to gain a better understanding of the survivability of existing networks and explore potential measures to reduce network vulnerability to failures in network equipment or severe overload conditions in emergencies," according to the agency's announcement of the new inquiry.

The FCC's increased attention on matters of cybersecurity and defense arrive in tandem with a number of similar congressional efforts all meant to safeguard the country's broadband network during national emergencies.

Six bills on those issues -- one of which would create a Senate-appointed cybersecurity office -- are awaiting further action in either or both chambers of Congress. All follow just months after a high-profile cyberattack believed to have originated in China targeted Google and countless other U.S. businesses.

A bill to study the country's radio spectrum that cleared the House with sizable bipartisan support last Wednesday remains stalled in the Senate this week, after Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) aired concerns about its cost.

According to reports, Coburn has twice blocked progress on that legislation, which would task the FCC and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) with reporting unused portion of the country's radio spectrum to lawmakers.

Those available blocks of spectrum could later be auctioned to wireless providers, currently strapped by the new data demands of devices like the iPad, the FCC has noted in its National Broadband Plan. The inventory is thus one of the staple elements of the FCC's new broadband-focused agenda.

But the legislation's reception in the Senate is a far cry from what the bill received in the House, when the chamber's Energy and Commerce Committee passed it unanimously and the full House cleared it with more than 300 votes in affirmation.

Lawmakers once believed its companion bill -- spearheaded by Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), who are senior members of the Commerce Committee, -- could similarly clear the upper chamber unimpeded. But Coburn's blockade could delay further action indefinitely.

The senator believes the bill could cost lawmakers up to $20 million, all of which would further compound the federal government's burgeoning deficit. Reportedly, Kerry and Snowe have fought back, stressing to Coburn that proceeds from the spectrum auction would actually benefit taxpayers and boost the Treasury's coffers, but it seems the Oklahoma Republican remains unconvinced.

Efforts to reach both Coburn and Kerry were unsuccessful on Wednesday. But Coburn's spokesman dud tell NextGov this week that, "Dr. Coburn believes our budget crisis is more pressing than our bandwidth crisis. Congress should pay for this bill by reducing wasteful spending instead of borrowing more from future generations."

Despite years of Congressional pleas for better broadband data, the FCC's National Broadband Plan is based on flawed information and incorrect assumptions, public interest group Free Press told lawmakers Wednesday.

Derek Turner, research director for Free Press, said the FCC has overstated the availability of broadband availability around the country, using figures that are not sufficient for long-term policymaking. In his testimony before the House technology subcommittee, Turner said he doubts the FCC's claim that 95 percent of U.S. households have access to broadband facilities capable of delivering adequate speeds.

"The Commission has for nearly two years failed to act on its own proposal to collect broadband availability data," Turner told the panel. "And now, despite the fact that the National Broadband Plan strongly recommends that the FCC finally gather this availability data, the Commission has signaled its intent to delay the matter even further by starting another proceeding at the end of this year."

Sharon Gillett, FCC Wireline Bureau Chief, told the panel that reliable data on broadband availability is "limited" but the plan is nonetheless a "reasonable indicator of broadband availability."

The data question has overshadowed other efforts by the Obama administration to extend the reach of broadband into rural areas. The broadband stimulus program was criticized for allocating billions of dollars for broadband expansion projects before the completion of detailed maps showing where that money is needed most. Read more...