The Internet,
E-Commerce, and the US Congress
In the decade between 1994 and 2004, the number of U.S.
adults using the Internet increased from 15% to 63%, and by
mid-2005, stood at 72%. From electronic mail to accessing
information to online purchasing ("electronic commerce"),
the Internet touches almost every aspect of modern life.
The extent to which use of the Internet continues to grow,
however, may be affected by a number of technology policy
issues being debated in Congress.
First is the availability of high-speed -- or "broadband"
-- Internet access. Broadband Internet access gives users
the ability to send and receive data at speeds far greater
than Internet access over traditional telephone lines. With
deployment of broadband technologies accelerating, Congress
is seeking to ensure fair competition and timely broadband
deployment to all sectors and geographical locations of
American society.
Next are a range of issues that reflect challenges faced by
those who do use the Internet, such as security, privacy
(including spyware and identity theft), unsolicited
commercial electronic mail ("spam"), protecting children
from unsuitable material (such as pornography), and
computer security, including the vulnerability of the
nation's critical infrastructures to cyber attacks.
Other issues include the governance of the Internet's
domain name system (DNS), which is administered by a
U.S.-based nonprofit corporation called the Internet
Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). With
the Department of Commerce currently exercising legal
authority over ICANN, and in reaction to calls for greater
international control over the Internet, the 109th Congress
has expressed its support for maintaining U.S. control over
the domain name system. The evolving role of the Internet
in the political economy of the United States also
continues to attract congressional attention.
Among the issues are what changes may be needed at the
Federal Communications Commission in the Internet age,
federal support for information technology research and
development, provision of online services by the government
( "e-government"), and availability and use of "open
source" software by the government. A number of laws
already have been passed on many of these issues. Congress
is monitoring the effectiveness of these laws, and
assessing what other legislation may be needed.
(excerpted from the U.S. Congressional Reporting Service & Modified by AntiHubris.com)