House Consumer Protection Subcommittee ranking member Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., will soon introduce legislation to ensure the FTC is “focused on ransomware” and working with a broad group of law enforcement agencies, House Commerce Committee ranking member Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., announced at a subcommittee hearing Tuesday. She cited recent ransomware attacks on Colonial (see 2106110031) and others as reasons for Congress to act. Bilirakis isn’t a member of the House Oversight Subcommittee, which held the hearing with testimony from Microsoft and FireEye. Last year, more than 2,400 organizations were victimized by ransomware attacks with a financial impact of about $500 million, said Microsoft Assistant General Counsel Kemba Walden. Subcommittee Chair Diana DeGette, D-Colo., cited a Microsoft report claiming more than 99% of cyberattacks could be prevented with multifactor authentication deployed. She asked if Congress should mandate such requirements through legislation, and Walden agreed. House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., cited the Biden administration’s recent efforts to combat ransomware, including a new ransomware website (see 2107150036) and efforts to make it more difficult for hackers to transfer funds using digital currency. Victims pay to accelerate the process of recouping their business operations or because it’s in the best interest of protecting their data and customer data, said FireEye-Mandiant Senior Vice President Charles Carmakal. This is despite the lack of guarantees the compromised data will be deleted, he said: Victims do anticipate that stolen data is eventually published “at a later point in time.”

The House Commerce Committee is to mark up the Secure Equipment Act (HR-3919) and seven other cybersecurity measures Wednesday, the panel said Monday. The other security measures on the docket: the Understanding Cybersecurity of Mobile Networks Act (HR-2685), Information and Communication Technology Strategy Act (HR-4028), Open Radio Access Network Outreach Act (HR-4032), Future Uses of Technology Upholding Reliable and Enhanced Networks Act (HR-4045), NTIA Policy and Cybersecurity Coordination Act (HR-4046), American Cybersecurity Literacy Act (HR-4055) and Communications Security Advisory Act (HR-4067). The partly virtual meeting begins at 10 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn. The House Communications Subcommittee examined the measures in June (see 2106300077). HR-2685 would require NTIA to report on cybersecurity of wireless networks and vulnerabilities to cyberattacks and surveillance by adversaries (see 2104210070). HR-3919 and Senate companion S-1790 would ban the FCC from issuing new equipment licenses to Huawei and other companies the commission considers a national security risk. HR-4028 would require the Commerce Department to create a whole-of-government strategy to bolster U.S. information and communications vendors’ economic competitiveness and reduce their reliance on foreign resources. HR-4032 would direct NTIA to provide outreach and technical assistance to small communications network providers on how to use ORAN technologies. HR-4045 would direct the FCC to establish a 6G Task Force to provide recommendations on how to ensure U.S. leadership in developing that technology’s standards. HR-4046 would create an Office of Policy Development and Cybersecurity within NTIA. HR-4055 would require that NTIA establish a cybersecurity literacy campaign to increase public knowledge and awareness of cybersecurity risks. HR-4067 would make the Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council permanent and require the council to report to Congress every two years with recommendations on “network security, resiliency, and interoperability” issues it examines.

The House voted 319-105 Tuesday to pass en bloc the 5G-centric Promoting U.S. Wireless Leadership Act (HR-3003) and four other telecom and media measures the chamber had originally intended to vote on Monday (see 2107190054). The other bills: House Resolution 277, the Preserving Home and Office Numbers in Emergencies Act (HR-678), Emergency Reporting Act (HR-1250) and Measuring the Economics Driving Investments and Access for Diversity Act (HR-1754).

The House was set to vote Monday night under suspension of the rules on the Promoting U.S. Wireless Leadership Act (HR-3003) and four other media and public safety telecom measures. The other bills in the docket: House Resolution 277, the Preserving Home and Office Numbers in Emergencies Act (HR-678), Emergency Reporting Act (HR-1250) and Measuring the Economics Driving Investments and Access for Diversity Act (HR-1754). HR-277 would reaffirm the House’s “commitment to diversity as a core tenet of the public interest standard in media policy.” HR-678 would limit reassignment of phone numbers during a declared natural disaster. HR-1250 and Senate companion S-390 would direct the FCC to issue reports and do field hearings after activating the disaster information reporting system. HR-1754 would require the FCC “consider market entry barriers for socially disadvantaged individuals in the communications marketplace” for video competition reports. HR-3003 would direct NTIA to encourage U.S. companies and others to participate in international standards-setting bodies as a way of improving the country’s 5G leadership role. The chamber is also set to consider other tech measures this week, including the Consumer Protection and Recovery Act (HR-2668) to restore the FTC’s FTC Act Section 13(b) authority (see 2106210054).

House Republicans launched the Freedom From Big Tech Caucus Friday to focus on antitrust, censorship and privacy. Antitrust Subcommittee ranking member Ken Buck, R-Colo., formed the caucus with Texas’ Lance Gooden, Utah’s Burgess Owens, North Carolina’s Madison Cawthorn and Arizona’s Paul Gosar. They accused Big Tech of rigging the free market, stifling innovation, “cozying up” to China and censoring Americans.

The House Appropriations Committee voted 33-26 Thursday to advance the FY 2022 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies bill (see 2107150064), which would increase NTIA’s annual funding almost 97% to $89.5 billion. The Patent and Trademark Office would get almost $4 billion, up 8% from FY 2021. The National Institute of Standards and Technology would get $1.37 billion, up 32% and some 8% less than what President Joe Biden sought. The Commerce Department Bureau of Industry and Security would get $143.4 million, up more than 7%. DOJ's Antitrust Division would get $201 million, up 9%.

House Commerce Committee Democrats should hold hearings and markups to develop a “strong federal privacy framework” for data, said ranking member Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and House Consumer Protection Subcommittee ranking member Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., marking one year since EU-U.S. Privacy Shield invalidation (see 2107140020). They called the invalidation a “major setback for the privacy protections of Europeans and Americans and a significant disruption to cross-border data flow.” They urged the committee to show leadership in protecting American data and “finally enact a national privacy standard.” The office for House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., didn’t comment. Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Senate Consumer Protection Subcommittee ranking member Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., joined Rodgers and Bilirakis in a separate letter Friday urging President Joe Biden to “prioritize comprehensive data privacy legislation as part of the Administration’s agenda.” They called for a federal standard to replace a patchwork of state privacy laws.

Information Technology Industry Council General Counsel John Miller and other witnesses’ written testimony for a Thursday Senate Commerce Committee hearing urged lawmakers to fully fund the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors for America Act and take other actions to improve U.S. supply chains. The Senate-passed U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (S-1260) includes $52 billion to fund the Chips for America Act and other chipmaking initiatives, but its House prospects are unclear (see 2106150078). That money would “boost U.S. investments in the semiconductor ecosystem -- including promoting a strong, skilled workforce for advanced manufacturing, strengthening the semiconductor supply chain, and increasing U.S. manufacturing capacity -- all of which are essential for U.S. economic and national security,” Miller said. Congress demonstrated “a will to address both short and long-term supply chain manufacturing issues through investment,” said IBM Research Director Dario Gil. Center for Strategic and International Studies Strategic Technologies Program Director James Lewis sought a “larger effort to build resiliency and security by strengthening all segments of the U.S. chip industry, through investments in R&D, workforce, and subsidies, including support for other parts of the semiconductor supply chain, such as advanced packaging.” The “supply chain is a disaster,” said The Taylor Group CEO Lex Taylor. “Some of that is due to the shortage of generic, programmable, or hard-coded microchips. Our products, like so many others, operate via some form of computer interface, so the chip shortage is extremely concerning.”

Amazon must recall unsafe products and notify consumers, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said Wednesday after the Consumer Product Safety Commission filed an administrative complaint to force a recall. “This is a forceful and decisive action by CPSC with a clear message to Amazon and other online marketplaces: knowingly selling dangerous and defective products that imperil Americans will not be tolerated,” he said. He cited certain AmazonBasics car chargers, surge protectors and microwaves as products that reportedly hurt consumers. He said Congress should give the CPSC the resources it needs. As the CPSC complaint acknowledges, “for the vast majority of the products in question,” Amazon “immediately removed the products from our store, notified customers about potential safety concerns, advised customers to destroy the products, and provided customers with full refunds,” a company spokesperson emailed. For remaining products, the agency hasn’t provided responsive information, the company said, noting it has expanded efforts to handle recalls: It’s unclear why the agency “filed a complaint seeking to force us to take actions almost entirely duplicative of those we’ve already taken.”

Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Roger Wicker, Miss., and Communications Subcommittee ranking member John Thune, S.D., urged the FCC Thursday to “move quickly to finish” its long-form application review process for the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction “and begin authorizing support to winning bidders.” Lawmakers are eyeing RDOF shortcomings (see 2105180070). “Each day that the [FCC] spends vetting long-form applications is another day that unserved Americans go without the high-speed broadband that is essential to everyday life,” Wicker and Thune said in a letter to acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “Months have passed since winners submitted their long-form applications, and the agency has remained almost entirely silent about the status of its review and plans to authorize money.” The GOP leaders sought a “status update” by July 29 on the review process. They want to know if the FCC plans to “complete a review of all long-form applications” and what measures the commission is “taking to ensure transparency and accountability in its long-form application review.” The agency didn’t comment.