Thune Staffer Warns of FCC 'Freelancing' on Cybersecurity
Senate Commerce Committee GOP telecom policy director David Quinalty questioned the FCC approach on cybersecurity issues Tuesday during a Media Institute event (see 1612060055). He pointed to the collaboration of such government agencies as the Department of Homeland Security but…
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said the FCC approach seems more inclined toward mandates, whether in reporting or regarding equipment. He said he sees no directive to the agency on cybersecurity regarding any of these actions. “We would be remiss if certain agencies were to go far afield” and start “freelancing,” said Quinalty, who works for Chairman John Thune, R-S.D. Commerce Committee staffers from both chambers dubbed the cybersecurity concerns an important issue to watch next Congress. “Legislation doesn’t necessarily need to take the form of mandates,” said David Goldman, counsel to House Commerce Committee ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., speculating on the possibility of providing incentives. “It’s a tough issue to legislate on,” said Kelsey Guyselman, Republican counsel for the House Commerce Committee. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has been backing off a controversial draft policy statement on cybersecurity that would have allowed confidential industry meetings with the agency on the subject (see 1611300063). As of Friday, that draft was on circulation, said the list last updated that day, though some expect it may be removed. One issue Hill speakers differed on was how much the next Congress might address media ownership. It “hasn’t been as hot a topic” in the Senate in recent years, Quinalty said. But Guyselman said “it’s something I anticipate we’ll continue to look at,” citing the attention from incoming House Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., who has led the Communications Subcommittee for years. “Do the results still make sense? … It’s not like it used to be.” Pallone is “paying attention” to the state of the media since the elections, Goldman said. “He’s very concerned about the state of the press.” Pallone would be on the lookout for any changes that would diminish “dissenting voices” in the market, Goldman said.