CONTENTS
[1] Newsletter Highlights
[2] Congress, Media, and Research Societies Bring National Attention to IT R&D Funding, USACM Weighs in
[3] ACM Voter Registration Database Study Calls for More Details in EAC Guidance
[4] USACM Provides Testimony to House Science Committee Hearing
[5] Congress Begins Work to Fund Research Agencies
[6] Congressmen Announce “Innovation Summit”
[7] Real ID Act Becomes Law
[8] House Passes Two Spyware Bills
[9] Cybersecurity Issues Move Forward in the House
[10] Administration Announces Leadership Changes in IT R&D Agencies
[11] Events to Watch In June
[12] About USACM
[An archive of all previous editions of Washington Update is available here.]
[1] NEWSLETTER HIGHLIGHTS
Below are the highlights of the top stories for May. You can find more detail on each below (as well as on our weblog at
* Information Technology (IT) research and development funding shortfalls and concerns about cuts to basic research funding received national attention in Congress, the press, and among computing, scientific societies and industry. USACM provided its perspective along with other computing societies.
* ACM’s voter registration database study committee called for more detail on a broader set of technical issues when the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) releases its final guidance to states on implementing statewide voter registration databases.
* The House of Representatives released its initial proposal for next fiscal year’s funding for several IT related agencies and programs (all numbers compared against last fiscal year):
– The National Science Foundation (NSF) $5.64 billion, +$171 million or +3.1 percent
– The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) $16.5 billion, +$300 million or +1.7 percent
– The Department of Energy’s Office of Science $3.67 billion, +$66 million or +1.8 percent
– The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) $549 million, -$145 million or -25 percent
– The Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity research program, $16.7 million, cut by $1.3 million (-7.2 percent)
* The Real ID Act is now law, but Congress left many of the concerns of USACM and the privacy community unaddressed.
* The House of Representatives easily passed two differing spyware bills - one focusing one technology fixes, one on regulating bad behavior. Senate action is unclear because very similar bills ultimately died in the Senate last Congress due to their differing approaches.
* The House of Representatives moved legislation to reform the cybersecurity duties of the Department of Homeland Security and added cybersecurity research and workforce programs to its existing ones.
* The Administration announced its intent to nominate William Alan Jeffrey for the Director of NIST and Dr. Simon Szykman as the director of the office that coordinates the National Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) program.
[2] CONGRESS, MEDIA, AND RESEARCH SOCIETIES BRING NATIONAL ATTENTION TO IT R&D FUNDING, USACM WEIGHS IN
A confluence of events brought an amazing amount of national attention to the decline in funding for long-term IT research and the federal government’s commitment to funding basic research in the physical sciences. This subject has received attention in the past, but the intensity and sustained interest both in the media and by policymakers show that this issue has newfound traction.
In late April, The New York Times featured a story that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) had shifted its focus away from funding university-based long-term IT research. This story served as a catalyst for several other stories, including a Science Magazine op-ed by ACM’s President Dave Patterson and University of Washington Professor Ed Lazowska stating that funding for long-term IT R&D has declined, which will have profound negative consequences for the American economy. Patterson then followed this with an op-ed in News.com outlining DARPA’s specific shift away from fundamental research and its implications. Adding fuel, the Computing Research Association (CRA) released its annual Taulbee Survey showing that the number of newly declared Computer Science majors is now 39 percent lower than 2000.
All of this set the stage for a House Science Committee hearing titled “The Future of Computer Science Research in the U.S.” USACM and several other computing societies weighed in with testimony at the hearing (see story below). After the hearing the chairman of the committee, Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY), stated his concern about the shift away from long-term IT R&D funding by the federal government concluding that the hearing was “just the first step in addressing concerns that computer scientists have raised about DARPA’s research priorities.”
Proceeding on a separate, but somewhat coordinated, track several media outlets and columnists, including author and New York Times’ columnist Thomas Friedman, focused on the bigger picture of declining funding for basic research in the physical sciences. Striking while attention was focused, Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA) announced three different initiatives designed to address this issue – tripling funding for the federal government’s investment in basic research in the physical sciences, including computing, legislation to forgive loan interest for students choosing math and science majors, and a national “innovation summit” to address the growing concern (see story below). Congressman Wolf’s announcement was particularly significant because he also chairs the appropriations subcommittee responsible for funding NSF, NASA, and NIST.
Dave Patterson’s op-ed for News.com can be found at
http://news.com.com/Surrendering+U.S.+leadership+in+IT/2010-7337_3-5701653.html
or http://tinyurl.com/dfcuz
In addition, CRA has chronicled all of the media stories and events on this subject at
CRA also has blow by blow coverage of Congress’ work on this issue (including events not covered here) in its weblog at
http://www.cra.org/goveraffairs/blog
[3] ACM VOTER REGISTRATION DATABASE STUDY CALLS FOR MORE DETAILS IN EAC GUIDANCE
ACM’s committee on Guidelines for Implementation of Voter Registration Databases recently took the opportunity to provide expert comments to the Election Assistance Commission (EAC). The Help America Vote Act requires that all states have statewide voter registration databases in place by January 1, 2006. Seeking to give the states guidance on this law, the EAC released draft guidelines on how to implement statewide registration databases. ACM’s committee felt that the guidance was a good start, but it covers only a few issues and lacks much of the technical detail that states really need:
“States will face many technical challenges in implementing these databases in a secure, accurate, and reliable manner, while protecting sensitive information and minimizing the risk of identity theft. The databases must also be easy to use and able to withstand the kinds of extreme demands to which they are likely to be subjected on Election Day. While the current guidance recognizes some of these challenges, it addresses the technical issues only at the highest level of detail. We urge the Commission to provide more technical detail on a broader set of issues as it further develops this guidance.”
The EAC’s draft guidance dealt with four basic issues: distributed vs. centralized databases, minimum synchronization requirements, coordination with other government sources of information (i.e. death, felony, drivers license, etc. databases), and users’ access rights.
Beyond the committee’s overarching statement, its comments focused on securing particularly sensitive data (i.e. Social Security numbers), developing standard schema for datasets, ensuring the accuracy of integrated databases by avoiding automated ‘merges’ and ‘purges,’ and how to finely detail a user’s permission to the database.
More information, including links to the committee’s comments and the EAC’s draft guidance, can be found at
http://www.acm.org/usacm/weblog/index.php?p=277
[4] USACM PROVIDES TESTIMONY TO HOUSE SCIENCE COMMITTEE HEARING
The House Science Committee held a hearing recently on federal funding for computer science research. USACM and CRA, along with a number of other organizations concerned about the future of computing research, issued joint testimony for the hearing. Among other things, our testimony points out that “federal investment helps fuel the innovation that insures the U.S. remains the world leader in business, that we have the strongest possible defense, and that we continue to find ways to live longer, healthier lives. To keep the fires of innovation lit, we should continue to boost funding levels for fundamental IT R&D.”
Following the hearing, ACM President David Patterson made comments in an ACM press release. He concluded that the United States still has the world’s strongest capability in fundamental research in IT, and the most experience in how to leverage that capability toward economic growth. “But,” he said, “we run a grave risk in cutting funding for fundamental IT research … Our concern is that the total level of national investment in fundamental IT research needs to be restored to meet the needs of our economy in an increasingly competitive world.”
The full testimony is available (PDF, 1.6 MB) at the following URL:
http://www.acm.org/usacm/Testimony/house_science_may05.pdf
In addition, the full ACM news release is available at
http://www.acm.org/usacm/weblog/index.php?p=270
[5] CONGRESS BEGINS WORK TO FUND RESEARCH AGENCIES
The Appropriations Committee for the House of Representatives has begun its work on next fiscal year’s spending measures. The committee provided slight increases to the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Department of Energy’s Office of Science:
– NSF funded at $5.64 billion, +$171 million or +3.1 percent
– NASA funded at $16.5 billion, +$300 million or +1.7 percent
– The Department of Energy’s Office of Science funded at $3.67 billion,
+$66 million or +1.8 percent
However, the committee cut funding for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) by $145 million or 25 percent. Most of this cut was because the House eliminated all funding for the Advanced Technology Program (ATP), which is run by NIST. Funding for NIST’s labs rose slightly. However, if the cut for ATP remains, this increase and part of the labs base budget will likely fund the close-out costs of the program.
The Senate has yet to begin work on its appropriations bills, but will likely start in June.
[6] CONGRESSMEN ANNOUNCE “INNOVATION SUMMIT”
A group of House members announced plans to hold a national “Innovation Summit” later this year, most likely in the Fall. The event was led by Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), along with his Congressional colleagues Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-MI), Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY), and Rep. Don Manzullo (R-IL).
The group voiced concerns that the United States is losing its leadership in science and innovation. Rep. Wolf noted that the group’s “hope is that the conference will bring together the nation’s best and brightest to help develop a blueprint for the future of American science and innovation.”
Joining the Congressmen were members of the Task Force for the Future of American Innovation (to which ACM belongs) former Michigan Governor John Engler, who now leads the National Association of Manufacturing; Deborah Wince-Smith from the Council on Competitiveness; John Castellani from the Business Roundtable; John Palafoutas from the American Electronics Association; and Dr. Alan Merten, President of George Mason University.
Rep. Wolf’s press release regarding the summit is available at the following address:
http://www.house.gov/wolf/news/2005/05-12innovation.html
[7] REAL ID ACT BECOMES LAW
In early May, Congress passed and the President signed into law the Real ID Act. As you may recall the bill was made part of the must-pass supplemental appropriations bill that included emergency funding for such things as the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan and tsunami relief. After a good deal of negotiating, the House and Senate eventually reached agreement on the Real ID Act, and it is largely the same bill that passed the House as part of their supplemental appropriations bill.
The legislation prevents federal agencies from accepting state driver’s licenses for official purposes unless they meet certain minimum standards spelled out in the act. It also requires states to check citizenship against federal databases. Finally, it requires all states to share these databases with each other. (There are several more provisions, but those are the highlights.)
In April, USACM sent the Senate a letter outlining its concerns about the security aspects of the database provisions and its national ID implications:
http://www.acm.org/usacm/weblog/index.php?p=240
It’s safe to say the final bill still raises those same concerns. In June, EPIC plans to hold an event looking further into national IDs and related privacy issues; more information is available at the following URL:
[8] HOUSE PASSES TWO SPYWARE BILLS
Spyware legislation has made it to the top of Congress’ agenda. Last week the House of Representatives passed two pieces of spyware legislation. In addition, two Senate bills were introduced on the subject.
Summary of the House-passed legislation:
* H.R. 29 - Rep. Mary Bono’s (R-CA) Securely Protect Yourself Against Cyber Trespass Act (SPY Act), which would, among other things, prohibit deceptive acts or practices intended to take unsolicited control of the computer; modify its settings; collect personally identifiable information; induce the unsolicited installation of computer software; and remove or disable a security, anti-spyware, or anti-virus technology. The bill tasks the FTC with enforcement of these provisions. The full text of the bill can be found at
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:H.R.29:
* H.R. 744 - Rep. Robert Goodlatte’s (R-VA) Internet Spyware Prevention Act (I-SPY Act), which would criminalize the installation of software to commit fraud, damage a computer, or alter security settings. The bill would provide courts the power to impose fines and jail time on lawbreakers. It would also authorize $10 million a year for the Department of Justice to go after those lawbreakers. The full text of the bill can be found at
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:H.R.29:
Readers may recall that similar bills were passed by the House last year but died in the Senate. The two bills, which we also discussed in March, are at odds in their approaches to regulating spyware. In general, Bono’s bill focuses on issues of technology, while Goodlatte’s bill focuses on bad actors and criminal behavior.
In a similar dynamic, there are also two notable spyware bills pending in the Senate – Senator Allen’s (R-VA) S. 1004 (which aims to empower the FTC to deal with the unfair and deceptive acts and practices associated with spyware) and Senator Burns’ (R-MT) S. 687 (which arguably resembles Rep. Bono’s bill in its focus on regulating the technological aspects of spyware). More information on these bills is available, respectively, at the following URLs:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:S.1004:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:S.687:
While one does get the sense that the prospects are better this year for spyware legislation than last year (if only because the costs and negative effects associated with spyware continue to increase public outcry), it is also clear that much work remains to be done on the Hill to produce legislation that Congress can agree on.
For additional information, see Declan McCullagh’s recent article:
http://news.com.com/House+approves+spyware+bill–again/2100-1028_3-5717658.html
or http://tinyurl.com/75ybw
[9] CYBERSECURITY ISSUES MOVE FORWARD IN THE HOUSE
The House of Representatives has passed the first Department of Homeland Security reauthorization since this department was created in 2002. Included in the legislation were three provisions to strengthen cybersecurity programs within the department. First, the bill establishes an Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in place of the current Director of the National Cyber Security Division – see
http://www.acm.org/usacm/cyber_structure.pdf
for the current vs. proposed structure. The point in doing so is to raise the profile of cybersecurity issues in DHS by giving the Director more political clout within the bureaucracy. Second, it creates a new one-year $3.7 million grant program for cybersecurity equipment and training. Third, it authorizes $19 million for cybersecurity research and development, including an unspecified amount for “fundamental, long-term research.”
The legislation’s prospects are unclear, as the Senate has said its preference is for a piecemeal approach to reauthorizing the Department.
For more information (including details of the bill) see
http://www.acm.org/usacm/weblog/index.php?p=273
[10] ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES LEADERSHIP CHANGES IN IT R&D AGENCIES
The White House announced its intent to nominate William Alan Jeffrey to be the new Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Jeffrey is currently Senior Director for Homeland and National Security and Assistant Director for Space and Aeronautics in the Office of Science and Technology Policy at the
White House. He has also held positions at DARPA and the Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office. The Administration’s full announcement is available at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/05/20050524-13.html
In other agency personnel news, Dr. Simon Szykman was recently named Director of the National Coordination Office (NCO) for Information Technology Research and Development (the office that coordinates interagency planning, budget, and assessment activities for the federal Networking and Information Technology Research and
Development (NITRD) Program). He comes to NCO from the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate, where he was DHS’s Director of Cybersecurity R&D. A news release is available at
http://nitrd.gov/news-media/20050526_szykman_appt.pdf
[11] EVENTS TO WATCH IN JUNE
June 6: Senate returns from Memorial Day recess; House returns on June 7.
June 6: EPIC’s “National ID at the Crossroads: The Future of Privacy in America.”
June 7-9: Meeting of the Information Security and Privacy Advisory Board, National Institute of Standards and Technology.
June 14: The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology (VCAT) holds a meeting themed “Science and Technology in the Federal Government: The Context for NIST.”
http://www.nist.gov/director/vcat/
June 27: New deadline for submitting comments on DOC’s notice of proposed rulemaking entitled “Revision and Clarification of Deemed Export Related Regulatory Requirements.”
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/pdf/05-6057.pdf
June 27: Deadline for commenting on the Federal Trade Commission’s notice of proposed rulemaking regarding certain definitions and substantive provisions under the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003 (CAN-SPAM or the Act).
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2005/05/canspamfrn.htm
[12] ABOUT USACM
USACM is the U.S. Public Policy Committee of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). ACM is widely recognized as the premier organization for computing professionals, delivering resources that advance the computing and IT disciplines, enable professional development, and promote policies and research that benefit society. ACM hosts the computing industry’s leading Digital Library and Guide to Computing Literature, and serves its 80,000 global members and the computing profession with journals and magazines, conferences, workshops, electronic forums, and its Career Resource Centre and Professional Development Centre. For more information about USACM and ACM, see
http://www.acm.org/usacm/about.html
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