Senators Snowe and Rockefeller Applaud Passage of Cybersecurity Bill

WASHINGTON, June 15, 2010 – In response to the passage of a bill bolstering Federal Cybersecurity policy by Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Susan Collins (R-ME), Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) released a statement today extolling the benefits of the proposed bill.

“Cybersecurity is one of the biggest national security issues this country faces and the threat is growing every day,” said Chairman Rockefeller. “Today’s outdated cybersecurity policies are not up to the task of protecting our nation and our economy and we must act now. We cannot wait for a crisis and then impose reactive solutions. We will do far better by acting proactively now, and by acting together. I commend Senators Lieberman and Collins for proposing solutions to this critical national security challenge and I look forward to working with them to pass comprehensive legislation to bolster our cyber defenses.”

The passage of the bill comes at a propitious time for Sens. Rockefeller and Snowe, who released their own cybersecurity bill a few months ago. Entitled “the Rockefeller-Snowe Cybersecurity Act,” the bill aims to create a private-public partnership on Cybersecurity using government incentives. The bill has garnered positive reactions from the National Cable and Telecommunications Association and USTelecom, as well as two of the major commercial telecommunications companies. The bill was reported out of the Commerce Committee on March 24, but no plans have been released for its reintroduction before the full Senate.