• Cyber Security -- America depends on secure and reliable networking and communications technologies. There's no single answer to protect government and private-sector systems, but increasing penalties for hackers is an important first step. The Cyber Security Enhancement Act, passed by the House of Representatives in July, will help law enforcement pursue hackers and stop cyber attacks. If the Senate doesn't fold it into the Homeland Security bill it's now considering, it will need to take action sometime this fall to shore up this element of the country's security strategy.
• Promoting Broadband Connections - At the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), policymakers are making critical decisions about broadband. To promote competition, the FCC has been asked to allocate additional unlicensed spectrum for Wi-Fi (wireless local-area networks). Microsoft will continue to urge action in this important area. It is also possible the FCC could lift rules that today assure broadband users they can access sites and applications and use Internet devices as they choose. These principles of connectivity have made the Internet what it is today; we will urge the FCC to embrace, not abandon, them.
• Digital Rights Management (DRM) -- Several lawmakers have offered legislation that would mandate a one-size-fits-all DRM solution for all "digital devices." Copyrighted digital content -- movies, music, software and so on -- should be protected from piracy, but a broad government-imposed tech mandate could stifle competition and innovation. The debate over DRM mandates is extremely complex and likely to continue into next year.

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