Week of September 19, 2022
The big news of the week will undoubtedly be today’s funeral for Queen Elizabeth II, which has drawn dignitaries and leaders from around the world, including President Biden.
Negotiators on Capitol Hill continue to work out the parameters of the Continuing Resolution, which both Chambers must pass by September 30. There are numerous policy issues trying to catch a ride on this CR, including Senator Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) energy permitting legislation, which he believed to be part of the earlier deal on the Inflation Reduction Act. It also seems likely that additional aid to Ukraine, along with disaster relief funding for hard hit states here at home, will be part of this deal.And, finally, it was good to hear President Biden declare that the pandemic is “over,” during his recent interview with 60 Minutes. Whether that was scripted or a much welcome ad lib, it is always good to start the week off with some positive news!
What We’re Watching:
Digital Assets Feel the Regulatory Heat: The White House released its Comprehensive Framework for Responsible Development of Digital Assets, taking steps to solidify its stance on crypto. The report contains several significant recommendations encouraging agencies to continue enforcement actions and foster consumer protections. That announcement falls on the heels of last week’s Senate Agriculture Committee hearing to examine the Digital Commodities Consumer Protection Act of 2022, which makes landmark strides to establish a regulatory framework. This week, we’ll see crypto take the stage in the House Agriculture Committee, where Members will discuss how crypto can be best used to encourage financial inclusivity.
The Uncertain Future of Antitrust Legislation: The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act of 2021 (JCPA) is once again on the agenda for this week’s markup at the Senate Judiciary Committee, but the bill’s future is still unclear. The committee is also set to hear from the Justice Department antitrust head, Jonathan Kanter, and Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan in a hearing to examine federal enforcement of antitrust laws. Subcommittee Chair Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) continues to push for a vote on JCPA while also shining a spotlight on other antitrust bills, though none of them have a very good chance of getting to the Senate floor prior to Election Day.
Washington’s Focus on Cybersecurity: Washington’s interest in enhancing cybersecurity standards saw a boost last week with DHS’s release of its State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program. The long-awaited initiative, authorized and appropriated by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act of 2021, provides a billion dollars in funding for state and local governments, and a second round of funding will be made for tribal governments this fall. The initiative has garnered bipartisan support to provide necessary resources to target-rich and cyber-poor entities to safeguard critical infrastructure and small businesses. Congress continues to take keen interest in safeguarding the cybersecurity, especially in the context of national security, as increasing threats of ransomware attacks occur. This fall, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is also expected to release their baseline cross-sector cybersecurity performance goals and objectives to help standardization in the industry.
What’s Happening This Week:
Tech Hearings
Senate Banking hearing on Russia sanctions - Tuesday, September 20 at 9:00 AM ET
House Financial Services subcommittee hearing on alternative payment systems - Tuesday, September 20 at 10:00 AM ET
House Agriculture subcommittee hearing on crypto for financial inclusion - Tuesday, September 20 at 2:00 PM ET
Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on antitrust oversight - Tuesday, September 20 at 3:00 PM ET
House Rules Committee hearing on right to repair - Wednesday, September 21 at 10:00 AM ET
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on protecting American innovation - Wednesday, September 21 at 2:30 PM ET
Senate Banking hearing to examine the nation’s largest banks - Thursday, September 22 at 9:30 AM ET
Senate Judiciary markup on antitrust journalism legislation - Thursday, September 22 at 9:00 AM ET
Tech Events
NTIA - Spectrum Policy Symposium 2022 - Monday, September 19 at 8:00 AM ET
National Science Foundation - meeting of the Advisory Committee for Cyberinfrastructure - Monday, September 19 at 10:00 AM ET
Heritage Foundation - "Countering Foreign Malign Influence While Protecting Civil Liberties” - Monday, September 19 at 1:00 PM ET
CSIS - "The European Approach to Regulating Artificial Intelligence" - Monday, September 19 at 3:30 PM ET
The Air and Space Forces Association Cyber Conference - Monday, September 19-20
The Wilson Center - "Can Technology Solve the Trust Challenge in America's Supply Chains?" - Tuesday, September 20 at 10:00 AM ET
Politico - “Writing the Rules of Crypto” - Tuesday, September 20 at 4:00 PM ET
The Foundation for Defense of Democracies - “Assessing America’s Cyber Resilience” - Wednesday, September 21 at 8:30 AM ET
Energy Department - virtual meeting of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology to discuss science and technology-related activities at the Commerce Department - Wednesday, September 21 at 11:00 AM ET
USPTO - AI/ET Partnership Series #2: AI & Biotech meeting - Thursday, September 22 at 10:00 AM PDT
NIST - CHIPS for America Strategy Paper Briefing - Thursday, September 22 at 3:00 PM ET
What’s Interesting This Week:
The Emoticon That Started It All… In a posting made to a Carnegie Mellon bulletin board on September 19, 1982, Professor Scott Fahlman proposed the first known use of emoticons (also known as smilicons or smileys). While the use of emoticons became widespread during the 80s and 90s, their origin remained unknown until September 10, 2002, when the original message was retrieved from backup tape. :-)
