There’s already lots of legislation to deal with in the coming year, including telecom reform and the Iraq war. But 2006 will also see Congress having to tackle such sticky issues as spyware, identity theft, and perhaps the biggest, a bill that will define the “fair use” rights of users of digital content. Tech trade groups are calling it a “full plate” for this nation’s top legislators and with 2006 being an election year, there will likely be lots of pressure to wrap up early.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee has already prepared two drafts of a bill which would create a regulatory framework for broadband providers. Some on the committee want “light regulation,” but a number of broadband providers aren’t particularly thrilled by the prospect of allowing users to access any legal content or attach their choice of legal devices to the network. You can expect a lot of fireworks on this one.
Identity theft is clearly a critical issue to anyone who has had a data breach of their own. Congress will have to decide exactly how and when companies must alert consumers when their internal security has been compromised. And then there’s the spyware issue, which has had significant press lately thanks to some invisible software that one major manufacturer placed on their CDs. Drop those discs into your PC and you’re fair game for hackers everywhere without ever knowing it.
Perhaps the hottest potato of them all is a proposed bill that would specifically define the “fair use” rights of consumers with regard to digital content. You can bet we’ll keep you posted on developments.