Cybersecurity
Lawmakers Frustrated By Love Bug
     Legislators from the House Science Technology Subcommittee called on software industry representatives to explain the failures of their anti-virus software to stop the "ILOVEYOU" computer bug that one industry expert called the most destructive yet. Anti-virus makers defended their products and services.

Taxes
House Takes Up Internet Tax Debate
     House lawmakers voted 352-75 to extend by five years the current three-year moratorium on access taxes and other discriminatory levies on the Internet, as part of a GOP push to pass a package of Internet tax legislation by month's end. "The ban on multiple taxes and discriminatory taxes is the right thing to do," said Rep. Christopher Cox, R-CA, the original sponsor of the moratorium extension, H.R. 3709. Cox originally proposed a permanent moratorium, but was willing to settle for the five-year extension.

Taxes
Leave My Mom Out Of This
     Invoking mothers and the Internet, Rep. Rob Portman, R-OH, tried to drum up more support for his legislation to repeal a 3 percent federal telephone tax. H.R. 3916 would eliminate the tax on telephones that brings in about $5 billion annually to federal coffers. It is part of a three-pronged effort by House GOP leaders to eliminate taxes on the Internet.

On The Hill
Committee OKs GOP Bill On Access Charges
     The House Commerce Committee approved by voice vote the second of the GOP leadership's three high-tech priorities for the month after a brief fight over the scope of the bill. The measure, sponsored by Rep. Fred Upton, R-MI, codifies an FCC decision that forbids imposing access charges on calls to Internet service providers. During the markup, members added language — backed by the regional Bell phone companies — clarifying that the FCC has the power to impose access charges on Internet companies that carry telephone calls over their networks.

Exports
Reid May Push For Faster Export Changes
     Senate Minority Whip Harry Reid, D-NV, introduced legislation that would allow some changes to computer export controls to be implemented much faster than allowed under current law. The bill, which is being co-sponsored by Sen. Robert Bennett, R-UT, and others, would reduce the amount of time Congress has to review changes to computer export controls from 180 days to 30 days. The bill, 2539, would be retroactive to Jan. 1, 2000, to include the most recent round of computer export control changes announced by the Clinton administration earlier this year.

On The Hill
Burns Kicks The Spam
     In an effort to jumpstart the debate on spam in the Senate, Sens. Conrad Burns, R-MT, Ron Wyden, D-OR, and Joseph Lieberman, D-CT, introduced legislation that would give Internet service providers and individuals tools to combat unsolicited e-mail. The unnumbered bill would require e-mails to have valid return addresses, require spammers to honor opt-out requests by consumers, prohibit forged address information, and would allow ISPs to take spammers to civil court for violating their policies, among other provisions.

On The Hill
House GOP Unveils eContract; Dems To Unveil E-Genda 2.0
     House GOP leadership unveiled the revamped eContract with America this week. The three broad agendas of the e-Contract include reducing taxation and regulation, promoting free trade and e-commerce, and "building a prosperous high-tech future." The high tech industry says it's an important philosophical statement and lawmakers say it lets industry know their position. The New Democrats coalition, a moderate faction of the Democratic party, will look to differentiate themselves from the Republicans when they release their high-tech agenda, to be dubbed "E-Genda 2.0," by placing an emphasis on closing the digital divide.

Business
Lawmakers Seek Tax Break For Computers
     House lawmakers are seeing a tax break for businesses that choose to give their employees computers and Internet access, as a way to expand private sector initiatives to close the divide between technology haves and have nots. Reps. Jerry Weller, R-IL, and John Lewis, D-GA, touted their so-called DATA Act — H.R. 4274 — as a way to encourage more large corporations to join the handful of others already offering employees computers and Internet access.

Privacy
Senators Launch Children's Privacy Effort
     Sens. Christopher Dodd, D-CT, and Richard Shelby, R-AL, outlined a children's privacy proposal that they say would protect students from the encroachment of commercial influences in school through the Internet or other activities. The proposed amendment, which the lawmakers plan to offer as part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, would require schools to get parental consent for students up to age 18 before students could participate in activities that collect personal information for commercial purposes. The Children's Online Privacy Act applies only to children under age 13.

Trade
Daley: PNTR Has Little Chance Without Other Bill
     Commerce Secretary William Daley said that the chances of passing permanent normal trade relations status for China will be "slim to none" without some version of a "parallel legislative" proposal offered by Reps. Sander Levin, D-MI, and Doug Bereuter, R-NE, to address concerns about providing China with the trade benefit. Meanwhile, in an effort to help rally support for the measure, Hastert, House Majority Leader Richard Armey, R-TX, House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, R-TX, other House members reiterated the benefits that PNTR may bring to the high-tech industry.

Courts
Napster Hits A Sour Note In Legal Battle
     A maker of software that allows music buffs to share audio files over the Internet lost round of one of a legal battle centering on copyright infringement. Ruling in favor of the Recording Industry Association of America, the chief judge of the U.S. District Court in San Francisco said that Napster did not qualify for the Internet service provider exemption to the 1998 DMCA. Judge Marilyn Hall Patel's decision means that Napster cannot argue that it is merely acting as America Online or Bell Atlantic would in serving as a conduit for material that could violate copyright law.

Cybercrime
Reno Launches Net Fraud Complaint Center
     Attorney General Janet Reno announced the creation of a new center aimed at providing better coordination among law enforcement agencies in tackling complaints of fraud on the Internet. The Internet Fraud Complaint Center, a joint venture launched by the FBI and National White Collar Crime Center, allows Internet users to file Internet fraud complaints on the Internet at a new Web site , which forwards them to the appropriate law enforcement agency or other federal agency.

Culture
Report Finds Women Behind In Tech
     A new White House report says that while both men and women have benefited from the significant job growth in the information technology sector, women are underrepresented in some of the top positions in this industry and compensated less than men in the highest paid positions. The report was released by the White House Council of Economic Advisers.
- by Sharon McLoone