Taxes
Senate Backs Seven-Year Net Tax Moratorium
     The Senate this week passed by voice vote to extend by seven years the federal moratorium on taxing Internet access. Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del., had proposed a four-year extension in lieu of a permanent ban on such taxes, and during floor debate, he even endorsed a six-year continuation. "I'd be happy to talk about alternatives," John Sununu, R-N.H., said during a colloquy with Carper that presaged the eventual compromise. The Senate vote came after last week's House passage of legislation to extend the Internet tax moratorium by four years. Carper and Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., called the Senate language "a common-sense victory" that "continues the moratorium on Internet taxation, avoids unfunded federal mandates on states and cities, updates the definition of Internet access, and allows Congress to revisit the issue after seven years." Republicans, meanwhile, have made Internet taxation a political issue.

Civil Liberties
House Panel Votes To Protect Web Freedom Abroad
     The House Foreign Affairs Committee approved legislation intended to stop repressive nations such as China from getting technology that enables them to restrict Internet access or to find and punish people who use electronic networks to promote freedom. The measure, H.R. 275, would direct the White House to "use all appropriate instruments," including export controls, to support the free flow of information and to deter U.S. firms from helping foreign governments that seek to bar or restrict Internet use. Bill author Christopher Smith, R-N.J., said the measure originated from hearings last year that revealed how "the Internet is being used as a tool of repression." He said the legislation is supported "by virtually every human rights organization." Although the legislation was approved by voice vote, two lawmakers said it would cut U.S. high-tech firms' exports without really doing much to reduce the barriers to the Internet.

Telecom
FTC Will Not Drop 'Do Not Call' Numbers For Now
     The FTC pledged not to drop any telephone numbers from the federal "do not call" list against unwanted telemarketing until lawmakers or the agency decides whether to make registration permanent. Lydia Parnes, director of the agency's Consumer Protection Bureau, made the vow just before a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee approved a bill to extend the FTC's authority over the list until 2012. Before approving the measure, the panel added language to make the extension permanent. Subcommittee Chairman Bobby Rush, D-Ill., said Congress must pass the legislation "to avoid the wrath of millions of angry constituents." Nebraska Republican Lee Terry, whose Omaha-based district is home to many telemarketing firms, originally voted against the registry and said he still believes that technologies are available to block unwanted calls. But since the list is "engrained into consumers' minds," policymakers must improve the efficiency of the program, he said.

Campaigns
Telecom Immunity Is An Issue In Democratic Primary
     Underdog Democratic presidential candidate Christopher Dodd has scored points with online activists in his party by promising to filibuster a surveillance bill if it includes retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies. The promise by Dodd, a senator from Connecticut, has helped make the debate over the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act an issue in the presidential race, with three other Democratic senators running for president now vowing to fight over the FISA bill. Two of those senators, Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois, are the frontrunners. Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware also has taken a stand on the issue. President Bush wants the retroactive immunity because telecom companies are facing lawsuits related to helping the administration conduct anti-terrorism wiretaps without court supervision. Dodd said immunity would violate the Constitution, and "it is our responsibility as senators and congressmen to stand up and fight for it."

Antitrust
Senators Balk At FCC Timetable On Media Rules
     Senators concerned that the FCC is poised to relax its limits on media ownership are threatening to block the agency from conducting a Dec. 18 vote on the matter. North Dakota Democrat Byron Dorgan and Mississippi Republican Trent Lott may propose a "resolution of disapproval" that would veto any changes to the restrictions. They also are considering separate legislation to prevent action on an expedited basis. The lawmakers want the agency to complete a separate proceeding on localism -- the levels of local news and civic programming that television stations air -- before holding the vote. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has indicated that localism might be addressed as part of the agency's broader ownership review. Lott said he came to Washington as a "deregulator" but has become increasingly worried that media consolidation is not "in the people's best interests." Also on the telecom front, the administrator of the rural broadband loan program said it needs overhauled.

Security
Senators, Watchdogs Note Flaws In Terrorist List
     Senators questioned the Bush administration's ability to control the growth and management of the government's terrorist watch list, including whether appropriate safeguards are in place to correct mistakes and remove the names of innocent people. Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., said progress has been made in developing an integrated watch list and in improving information-sharing among law enforcers. But he said the watch list soon will swell to more than 1 million names. "If many of those names are mistakenly there, the credibility of the terrorism watch list and its usefulness will be compromised," Lieberman said. He urged "clear standards for putting names on it and taking names off it." Committee ranking Republican Susan Collins of Maine said "the use of the terrorism watch list inspires both confidence and concern." A House Homeland Security subcommittee, meanwhile, aired concerns about a high-tech border fence. And senators demanded funding to implement standards for driver's licenses.

Campaigns
Louisiana Gov.-Elect Jindal Has Tech Ideas On Radar
     Louisiana Gov.-elect Bobby Jindal, who won Saturday's all-candidate primary contest with enough votes to avoid a runoff, has pledged to enact swift changes to limit the influence of lobbyists and curtail corruption in his state. Jindal, a Republican currently serving in the U.S. House, has vowed to call for a special legislative session to focus on comprehensive ethics reform. His plan would make more information available on the Internet and has called for requiring all lobbying reports and ethics filings to be posted online. Under his plan, Internet-based training on ethics rules would be required of all state employees. Other technology-related ideas on Jindal's agenda include: requiring sex offenders to be registered with the state for life, expanding the use of global positioning systems to track registered criminals and doubling the minimum sentence for computer-aided sexual solicitation of minors.