U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is still deciding whether to approve a new cybersecurity command under STRATCOM that would “lead, integrate, and better coordinate” day-to- day protection of defense networks, Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn told the Center for Strategic & International Studies at an event Monday. Gates is “evaluating proposals,” while “the joint staff is still working out the details of how this command would work and what the reporting relationships are,” Lynn said. No legislation is needed since the command would be a subordinate to the existing STRATCOM, he said. However, the commander of the program would have to be confirmed by the Senate, and Defense plans to “consult actively with Congress before we move forward,” he said. The new command “would not represent the militarization of cyberspace,” he said, because it would be responsible only for defense and military networks, he said. Civilian networks are the Homeland Security Department’s responsibility, he said. Protecting defense computer networks is a top priority for the Defense Department, Lynn said. DoD “has formally recognized cyberspace for what it is: a domain, similar to land, sea, air and space,” he said. However, the U.S. has room for improvement on cybersecurity, Lynn said. DoD is working to improve awareness, training and capabilities for dealing with cyberthreats, he said. Partnerships among the U.S. government, international governments, academia and the private sector will also be critical, Lynn said. “That in the end will be the only way that we'll meet the challenge.”
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is still deciding whether to approve a new cybersecurity command under STRATCOM that would “lead, integrate, and better coordinate” day-to- day protection of defense networks, Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn told the Center for Strategic & International Studies at an event Monday. Gates is “evaluating proposals,” while “the joint staff is still working out the details of how this command would work and what the reporting relationships are,” Lynn said. No legislation is needed since the command would be a subordinate to the existing STRATCOM, he said. However, the commander of the program would have to be confirmed by the Senate, and Defense plans to “consult actively with Congress before we move forward,” he said. The new command “would not represent the militarization of cyberspace,” he said, because it would be responsible only for defense and military networks, he said. Civilian networks are the Homeland Security Department’s responsibility, he said. Protecting defense computer networks is a top priority for the Defense Department, Lynn said. DoD “has formally recognized cyberspace for what it is: a domain, similar to land, sea, air and space,” he said. However, the U.S. has room for improvement on cybersecurity, Lynn said. DoD is working to improve awareness, training and capabilities for dealing with cyberthreats, he said. Partnerships among the U.S. government, international governments, academia and the private sector will also be critical, Lynn said. “That in the end will be the only way that we'll meet the challenge.”
Homes unprepared for DTV in the “home stretch” to June 12 would be “hard to motivate” as well as to reach, Burson- Marsteller told the FCC in an April proposal that landed the mega-agency the $3.5 million contract to provide the commission with consumer outreach “support services” in the final phase of the DTV transition (CED May 12 p1). To reach these “at-risk audiences,” any 11th-hour campaign should “interrupt them where they live, motivate them to get prepared … and surround them with its message from multiple channels, from sources they know and trust,” said the proposal, released to Consumer Electronics Daily’s publisher, Warren Communications News, under the Freedom of Information Act.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a news release reminding members of the Free and Secure Trade program that all FAST cards are compliant with the new document requirements under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative that went into effect on June 1, 2009.
A group of associations representing U.S. business interests have written the U.S. Trade Representative to recommend he "closely review Ecuador's eligibility to continue to receive preferences" under the Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA) and the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA).
GENEVA -- An ITU-T study group is exploring the idea of globally harmonizing Common Alerting Protocol identifiers for “sender,” “source” and “language” elements, an executive said. A draft ITU-T recommendation has requirements for land mobile alerting broadcast capabilities for point-to- multipoint, multicast and broadcast warning and civic use.
Democrats are split over HR-5121, to ban new state taxes on the cellphone industry, they said at a House Judiciary Administrative Law Subcommittee hearing Tuesday. Sponsor Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., called the measure essential to broadband deployment. State and local taxes on the industry are “regressive,” she said. Acknowledging state and local governments’ resistance to federal restriction of their taxing power, Lofgren said the need to spread broadband should be the overriding priority.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Best Buy is finding a “Home Entertainment Advisors” service “very well received” in a 12- store test and is considering expanding its scope to home control and energy management, a representative said last week at the Connections conference. A $99 charge for the advice is dropped with a $300 purchase, said technical analyst Travis Misterek.
On May 12, 2009, Representative Richardson (D) and cosponsors1 introduced H.R. 2355, the Making Opportunity via Efficient and More Effective National Transportation (MOVEMENT) Act of 2009.
BERKELEY, Calif. -- A Cisco executive said AT&T and BT are close to a TelePresence interconnection deal that will ignite both the international demand for the high-definition conferencing service and the supply of it. The carriers, the first two providing the service, should complete their deal this summer, after considerable haggling, said Randy Harrell, the product marketing director for Cisco’s TelePresence business unit. He spoke Friday at the Immersive Telecommunications conference.