The task of improving critical infrastructure cybersecurity will fall to the subcommittee on oversight and investigations. “A top priority for the subcommittee will be improving our nation’s cybersecurity to protect our infrastructure – including the electric grid, defense capabilities, sensitive government network systems, and other key systems – from growing threats and vulnerabilities”, according to a committee statement.
In addition, the subcommittee on commerce, manufacturing, and trade will tackle protection of personal information online. The subcommittee will consider such issues as consumer knowledge of online data collection and opportunities to control what information is obtained and maintained; aggregation and anonymization of individually identifiable information; the role of data collection to improve the online user experience and provide free online content; the ability to prevent unwanted marketing and other targeted outreach or rejection of services based on an individual’s online profile; and the competitive consequences of foreign privacy regimes for American firms.
In addition, the subcommittee on communications and technology plans to examine streamlining the Federal Communications Commission’s wireless spectrum auction and licensing process. The committee estimates that the streamlining of FCC regulations in the past has led the wireless industry to invest more than $240 billion in network structures and equipment over the last decade.
“The American public is desperate for more jobs, and Energy and Commerce Republicans understand the fundamental economic principle that reducing regulatory burdens is imperative to spur job growth and economic recovery. Our future depends on our economic growth, and our economic growth depends on our regulatory future”, commented Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.).