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Advanced Spectroscopic Portal Program: Background and Issues for Congress [September 03, 2009]
"The Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is charged with developing and procuring equipment to prevent a terrorist nuclear or radiological attack in the United States. At the forefront of DNDO's efforts are technologies currently deployed and under development whose purpose is to detect smuggled nuclear and radiological materials. These technologies include existing radiation portal monitors and nextgeneration replacements known as advanced spectroscopic portals (ASPs). Radiation portal monitors are used to detect radiation emitted from conveyances, such as trucks, entering the United States. Combined with additional equipment to identify the source of the emitted radiation, they provide for a detection and identification capability to locate smuggled nuclear and radiological materials. The ASPs currently under testing integrate these detection and identification steps into a single process. By doing this, DHS aims to reduce the impact of radiation screening on commerce while increasing its ability to detect illicit nuclear material. […]Laboratory and field tests of the ASPs, cost-benefit analyses, and other activities are under way to inform the Secretary's certification decision. Among the issues Congress faces are whether to further define the expected performance of the ASP systems through additional legislation; how to assess whether the ASP systems are technologically ready to be deployed; how to weigh the potential economic and security benefits of ASP deployment against its financial cost; and whether the certification process developed by DHS to establish a 'significant increase in operational effectiveness' is well founded."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moteff, John D.; Shea, Dana A.; Morgan, Daniel (Daniel L.)
2009-09-03
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Advanced Spectroscopic Portal Program: Background and Issues for Congress [May 21, 2010]
"The Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is charged with developing and procuring equipment to prevent a terrorist nuclear or radiological attack in the United States. At the forefront of DNDO's efforts are technologies currently deployed and under development whose purpose is to detect smuggled nuclear and radiological materials. These technologies include existing radiation portal monitors and nextgeneration replacements known as advanced spectroscopic portals (ASPs). Customs and Border Protection officers use radiation portal monitors to detect radiation emitted from conveyances, such as trucks, entering the United States. When combined with additional equipment to identify the source of the emitted radiation, they provide a detection and identification capability to locate smuggled nuclear and radiological materials. The ASPs currently under testing integrate these detection and identification steps into a single process. By doing this, DHS aims to reduce the impact of radiation screening on commerce while increasing its ability to detect illicit nuclear material."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moteff, John D.; Shea, Dana A.; Morgan, Daniel (Daniel L.)
2010-05-21
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Statement on Critical Infrastructure Security [January 12, 2010]
"The federal government has taken on the responsibility of working with the owners and operators of critical infrastructure (both public and private) to determine which of their assets are the most critical to the nation as whole, to assess the vulnerability of these assets to a variety of threats, to determine the risks involved, to develop options for reducing those risks, and to implement the most cost-effective risk-reduction options. Although there is a range of regulatory intervention already in place across the various critical infrastructure sectors, national policy states that the federal government should strive to encourage owners and operators to take proactive, marketbased actions to protect these assets. However, the federal government is willing to intervene (through regulation or incentives) in those cases where owners and operators are unwilling or unable to adequately protect nationally critical assets. The federal government has also assumed the responsibility of assisting state and local governments and some private sector entities protect assets that are important locally, but which may not be critical to the nation as a whole. While many federal agencies play a role, Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) No. 7 makes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) the lead agency in coordinating this national effort."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moteff, John D.
2010-01-12
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Critical Infrastructures: Background, Policy, and Implementation [November 12, 2009]
"This report discusses in more detail the evolution of a national critical infrastructure policy and the institutional structures established to implement it. The report highlights five issues of Congressional concern: identifying critical assets; assessing vulnerabilities and risks; allocating resources; information sharing; and regulation. This report will be updated."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moteff, John D.
2009-11-12
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Advanced Spectroscopic Portal Program: Background and Issues for Congress [March 25, 2009]
This Congressional Research Service (CRS) report analyzes the Advanced Spectroscopic Portal Program. "The Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is charged with developing and procuring equipment to prevent a terrorist nuclear or radiological attack in the United States. At the forefront of DNDO's efforts are technologies currently deployed and under development whose purpose is to detect smuggled nuclear and radiological materials. These technologies include existing radiation portal monitors and nextgeneration replacements known as advanced spectroscopic portals (ASPs). Radiation portal monitors are used to detect radiation emitted from conveyances, such as trucks, that are entering the United States. Combined with additional equipment to identify the source of the emitted radiation, they provide for a detection and identification capability to locate smuggled nuclear and radiological materials. The ASPs currently under testing integrate these detection and identification steps into a single process. By doing so, DHS aims to reduce the impact of radiation screening on commerce while increasing its ability to detect illicit nuclear material."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moteff, John D.; Shea, Dana A.; Morgan, Daniel (Daniel L.)
2009-03-25
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Critical Infrastructures: Background, Policy, and Implementation [Updated February 17, 2005]
"Following the events of September 11, the Bush Administration released two relevant Executive Orders (EOs). EO 13228, signed October 8, 2001 established the Office of Homeland Security. Among its duties, the Office shall 'coordinate efforts to protect the United States and its critical infrastructure from the consequences of terrorist attacks.' EO 13231, signed October 16, stated the Bush Administration's policy and objectives for protecting the nation's information infrastructure and established the President's Critical Infrastructure Protection Board chaired by a Special Advisor to the President for Cybersecurity (both of which were later abolished by an amending executive order). More recently (December17, 2003), the Bush Administration released Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7, reiterating and expanding upon infrastructure protection policy and responsibilities which remain relatively unchanged through two Administrations."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moteff, John D.
2005-02-17
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Computer Security: Summary of Selected Federal Laws, Executive Orders, and Presidential Directives [April 16, 2004]
"This report provides a short summary of selected federal laws, executive orders, and presidential directives, currently in force, that govern computer security. The report focuses on the major roles and responsibilities assigned various federal agencies in the area of computer security." Areas covered in this report include the following: securing federal computer systems, protecting information on private systems, working with the private sector, investigating and prosecuting computer crimes, and research and development of information security.
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moteff, John D.
2004-04-16
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Critical Infrastructures: Background, Policy, and Implementation [Updated February 4, 2002]
"The nations health, wealth, and security rely on the production and distribution of certain goods and services. The array of physical assets, processes and organizations across which these goods and services move are called critical infrastructures (e.g. electricity, the power plants that generate it, and the electric grid upon which it is distributed). Computers and communications, themselves critical infrastructures, are increasingly tying these infrastructures together. There is concern that this reliance on computers and computer networks raises the vulnerability of the nations critical infrastructures to 'cyber' attacks. In May 1998, President Clinton released Presidential Decision Directive No. 63. The Directive set up groups within the federal government to develop and implement plans that would protect government-operated infrastructures and called for a dialogue between government and the private sector to develop a National Infrastructure Assurance Plan that would protect all of the nations critical infrastructures by the year 2003. While the Directive called for both physical and cyber protection from both man-made and natural events, implementation focused on cyber protection against man-made cyber events (i.e. computer hackers). Those advocating the need for greater cyber security felt that this was a new vulnerability not fully appreciated by system owners and operators in either the private or public sectors. However, given the impact of the September 11 attacks on the communications, finance, and transportation infrastructures, physical protections of critical infrastructures may receive more attention."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moteff, John D.
2002-02-04
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Critical Infrastructure Information Disclosure and Homeland Security [Updated August 31, 2002]
"Critical infrastructures have been defined as those systems and assets so vital to the United States that the incapacity of such systems and assets would have a debilitating impact on the United States. One of the findings of the Presidents Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection, established by President Clinton in 1996, was the need for the federal government and owners and operators of the nations critical infrastructures to share information on vulnerabilities and threats. However, the Commission noted that owners and operators are reluctant to share confidential business information, and the government is reluctant to share information that might compromise intelligence sources or investigations. Among the strategies to help owners and operators share information with the federal government was a proposal to exempt the information they share from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) was passed to ensure by statute citizen access to government information. Nine categories of information may be exempted from disclosure. Three of the nine exemptions provide possible protection against the release of critical infrastructure information: exemption 1 (national security information); exemption 3 (information exempted by statute); and exemption 4 (confidential business information). Congress has considered several proposals to exempt critical infrastructure information from the FOIA. Generally, the legislation has either created an exemption 3 statute, or codified the standard adopted by the D.C. Circuit in exemption 4 cases."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moteff, John D.; Stevens, Gina Marie
2002-08-31
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Internet: An Overview of Key Technology Policy Issues Affecting Its Use and Growth [Updated December 24, 2003]
"The continued growth of the Internet for personal, government, and business purposes may be affected by a number of issues being debated by Congress. Among them are Internet privacy, computer security, access to broadband (high-speed) services, electronic commerce (e-commerce), unsolicited commercial electronic mail ('junk e-mail' or 'spam'), Internet domain names, and government information technology management. This report provides brief summaries of those issues, as well as appendices that list related legislation pending in the 108th Congress, a list of acronyms, a discussion of related legislation passed in the 105th - 107th Congresses, and a list of other CRS reports that provide more detail on the issues."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moteff, John D.; Smith, Marcia S.; Kruger, Lennard G.
2003-12-24
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Internet: An Overview of Key Technology Policy Issues Affecting Its Use and Growth [Updated December 20, 2005]
"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 nations critical infrastructures to cyber attacks. Other issues include the governance of the Internets 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."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moteff, John D.; Smith, Marcia S.; Kruger, Lennard G.
2005-12-20
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Critical Infrastructures: Background, Policy, and Implementation [Updated September 25, 2003]
"The nations health, wealth, and security rely on the production and distribution of certain goods and services. The array of physical assets, processes and organizations across which these goods and services move are called critical infrastructures (e.g. electricity, the power plants that generate it, and the electric grid upon which it is distributed). Computers and communications, themselves critical infrastructures, are increasingly tying these infrastructures together. There has been growing concern that this reliance on computers and computer networks raises the vulnerability of the nations critical infrastructures to 'cyber' attacks. InMay1998, President Clinton released Presidential Decision Directive No. 63. The Directive set up groups within the federal government to develop and implement plans that would protect government-operated infrastructures and called for a dialogue between government and the private sector to develop a National Infrastructure Assurance Plan that would protect all of the nations critical infrastructures by the year 2003. While the Directive called for both physical and cyber protection from both man-made and natural events, implementation focused on cyber protection against man-made cyber events (i.e. computer hackers). However, given the physical damage caused by the September 11 attacks and the subsequent impact on the communications, finance, and transportation services, physical protections of critical infrastructures is receiving greater attention."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moteff, John D.
2003-09-25
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Critical Infrastructures: Background, Policy, and Implementation [Updated July 15, 2004]
"The nations health, wealth, and security rely on the production and distribution of certain goods and services. The array of physical assets, processes and organizations across which these goods and services move are called critical infrastructures (e.g. electricity, the power plants that generate it, and the electric grid upon which it is distributed). The national security community has been concerned for sometime about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to both physical and cyber attack. In May 1998, President Clinton released Presidential Decision Directive No. 63. The Directive set up groups within the federal government to develop and implement plans that would protect government-operated infrastructures and called for a dialogue between government and the private sector to develop a National Infrastructure Assurance Plan that would protect all of the nations critical infrastructures by the year 2003. While the Directive called for both physical and cyber protection from both manmade and natural events, implementation focused on cyber protection against manmade cyber events (i.e. computer hackers). However, given the physical damage caused by the September 11 attacks, physical protections of critical infrastructures is receiving greater attention."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moteff, John D.
2004-07-15
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Critical Infrastructures: Background, Policy, and Implementation [Updated April 9, 2003]
"The nations health, wealth, and security rely on the production and distribution of certain goods and services. The array of physical assets, processes and organizations across which these goods and services move are called critical infrastructures (e.g. electricity, the power plants that generate it, and the electric grid upon which it is distributed). Computers and communications, themselves critical infrastructures, are increasingly tying these infrastructures together. There has been growing concern that this reliance on computers and computer networks raises the vulnerability of the nations critical infrastructures to 'cyber' attacks. In May 1998, President Clinton released Presidential Decision Directive No. 63. The Directive set up groups within the federal government to develop and implement plans that would protect government-operated infrastructures and called for a dialogue between government and the private sector to develop a National Infrastructure Assurance Plan that would protect all of the nations critical infrastructures by the year 2003. While the Directive called for both physical and cyber protection from both man-made and natural events, implementation focused on cyber protection against man-made cyber events (i.e. computer hackers). However, given the physical damage caused by the September 11 attacks and the subsequent impact on the communications, finance, and transportation services, physical protections of critical infrastructures is receiving greater attention."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moteff, John D.
2003-04-09
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Critical Infrastructures: Background, Policy, and Implementation [Updated July 12, 2005]
"The nation's health, wealth, and security rely on the production and distribution of certain goods and services. The array of physical assets, processes and organizations across which these goods and services move are called critical infrastructures (e.g. electricity, the power plants that generate it, and the electric grid upon which it is distributed). [...] Issues in critical infrastructure protection include how to integrate cyber and physical protection; mechanisms for sharing information between the government, the private sector, and the public; the need to set priorities; and, whether or not the federal government will need to employ more direct incentives to achieve an adequate level of protection by the private sector and states. This report will be updated as warranted."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moteff, John D.
2005-07-12
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Critical Infrastructures: Background, Policy, and Implementation [Updated May 6, 2003]
The nation's health, wealth, and security rely on the production and distribution of certain goods and services. The array of physical assets, processes and organizations across which these goods and services move are called critical infrastructures (e.g. electricity, the power plants that generate it, and the electric grid upon which it is distributed). Computers and communications, themselves critical infrastructures, are increasingly tying these infrastructures together. There is concern that this reliance on computers and computer networks raises the vulnerability of the nation's critical infrastructures to "cyber" attacks. In May 1998, President Clinton released Presidential Decision Directive No. 63. The Directive set up groups within the federal government to develop and implement plans that would protect government-operated infrastructures and called for a dialogue between government and the private sector to develop a National Infrastructure Assurance Plan that would protect all of the nation's critical infrastructures by the year 2003. While the Directive called for both physical and cyber protection from both man-made and natural events, implementation focused on cyber protection against man-made cyber events (i.e. computer hackers). Those advocating the need for greater cyber security felt that this was a new vulnerability not fully appreciated by system owners and operators in either the private or public sectors. However, given the impact of the September 11 attacks on the communications, finance, and transportation infrastructures, physical protections of critical infrastructures may receive more attention.
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moteff, John D.
2003-05-06
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Critical Infrastructure Information: Disclosure and Homeland Security [Updated January 29, 2003]
One of the findings of the President's Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection, established by President Clinton in 1996, was the need for the federal government and owners and operators of the nation's critical infrastructures to share information on vulnerabilities and threats. Among the strategies to help owners and operators share information with the federal government was a proposal to exempt the information they share from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Three of the nine exemptions provide possible protection against the release of critical infrastructure information: exemption 1 (national security information); exemption 3 (information exempted by statute); and exemption 4 (confidential business information). Public interest groups argue that the language in the House bill is far too broad and would allow a wide range of information to be protected from disclosure (including information previously available under FOIA), and that existing FOIA exemptions and case law provide sufficient protections.
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moteff, John D.; Stevens, Gina Marie
2003-01-29
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Critical Infrastructures: A Primer [August 13, 1998]
The nation's health, wealth, and security rely on the supply and distribution of certain goods and services. The array of physical assets, processes and organizations across which these goods and services move are called critical infrastructures. Computers and communications, themselves critical infrastructures, are increasingly tying these infrastructures together. There is concern that this reliance on computers and computer networks makes the nation's critical infrastructures vulnerable to "cyber" attacks, be they from mischievous teenage hackers or information warriors from foreign countries. In May 1998, the President released Presidential Decision Directive No. 63. The Directive organizes the federal government to develop and implement plans that would protect government-operated infrastructures and calls for a dialogue between government and the private sector to develop a National Infrastructure Assurance Plan that would protect the nation's critical infrastructures by the year 2003.
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moteff, John D.
1998-08-13
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Critical Infrastructures: What Makes an Infrastructure Critical? [Updated January 29, 2003]
Over the last few years, a number of documents concerned with critical infrastructure protection have offered general definitions for critical infrastructures and have provided short lists of which infrastructures should be included. The Bush Administration's proposal for establishing a Department of Homeland Security includes a function whose responsibilities include the coordination of policies and actions to protect the nation's critical infrastructure. Essentially, the federal government will have to try to minimize the impact on the nation's critical infrastructure of any future terrorist attack, taking into account what those impacts might be and the likelihood of their occurring. At the very least, a growing list of infrastructures in need of protection will require the federal government to prioritize its efforts.
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moteff, John D.; Copeland, Claudia; Fischer, John
2003-01-29
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Defense Research: DoD's Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Program [Updated October 1, 2003]
In its FY2004 budget proposal, the Bush Administration requested $380 billion for the Department of Defense, including $61.8 billion in Title IV Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) funding. This year's RDT&E request is $5 billion more than the amount available for RDT&E in FY2003, and represents the largest single-year request in constant dollars going back to FY1962. The Administration requested $7.7 billion in research and development for missile defenses, $1 billion more than what is available in FY2003. The Senate voted to authorize $63.1 billion on RDT&E, including $10.7 billion on S&T ($1.4 billion of which would go toward basic research).
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moteff, John D.
2003-10-01
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Critical Infrastructures: Background, Policy, and Implementation [Updated October 10, 2008]
This CRS report discusses critical infrastructure policy. "Following the events of September 11, the Bush Administration released Executive Order 13228, signed October 8, 2001, establishing the Office of Homeland Security. Among its duties, the Office shall 'coordinate efforts to protect the United States and its critical infrastructure from the consequences of terrorist attacks.' In November 2002, Congress passed legislation creating a Department of Homeland Security. Among its responsibilities is overall coordination of critical infrastructure protection activities. In December 2003, the Bush Administration released Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7, reiterating and expanding upon infrastructure protection policy and responsibilities. In June 2006, the Bush Administration released a National Infrastructure Protection Plan. This Plan presents the process by which the Department of Homeland Security intends to identify those specific assets most critical to the United States, across all sectors, based on the risk associated with their loss to attack or natural disaster, and then to prioritize activities aimed at maximizing the reduction of those risks for a given investment. This report discusses in more detail the evolution of a national critical infrastructure policy and the institutional structures established to implement it. The report highlights five issues of Congressional concern: identifying critical assets; assessing vulnerabilities and risks; allocating resources; information sharing; and, regulation. This report will be updated."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moteff, John D.
2008-10-10
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Critical Infrastructure Protections: The 9/11 Commission Report [August 16, 2004]
Many of the recommendations made in the 9/11 Commission's report deal indirectly with critical infrastructure protection, especially as the goals of critical infrastructure protection have evolved to include countering the type of attack that occurred on September 11. However, relatively few recommendations in the Commission's report address critical infrastructure protection specifically. These call for using a systematic risk management approach for setting priorities and allocating resources for critical infrastructure protection. The Commission discussed in more detail issues related to transportation security. However, none of these recommendations advocate a change in the direction of, or the organizational structures that have evolved to implement, existing infrastructure protection policies. Nevertheless, the Commission's recommendations could speed up implementation in some areas, given the attention and renewed urgency expressed by the Commission.
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moteff, John D.
2004-08-16
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Protecting Critical Infrastructure from Terrorist Attack: A Catalog of Selected Federal Assistance Programs [June 25, 2002]
This report lists selected federal assistance programs that are available to state,
local, and other public authorities to help protect critical infrastructures. Critical
infrastructures include such facilities as seaports, airports, energy production and
transmission, assets used by the telecommunications and banking and finance
industries, and those assets used by emergency services. Much of what is considered
critical infrastructure is owned and operated by the private sector, and the private
sector is primarily responsible for ensuring its protection. However, for those
facilities owned and/or operated by state or local governments, or other types of
public authorities (in particular water supply, ports, airports, mass transit), a number
of programs provide support for improving security.
This report focuses on those programs that specifically mention protecting
critical infrastructure as their objective, or for which protecting critical infrastructure
is clearly an eligible activity.
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moteff, John D.
2002-06-25
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Research and Development Funding: Fiscal Year 2002 [Updated May 15, 2001]
"President Bush requested $95.253 billion for federal R&D in FY2002, a 5.8% increase over the estimated $90.010 billion appropriated for FY2001. The House passed FY2002 Budget Resolution (H.Con.Res. 83, passed March 28th) increases overall discretionary spending 4%, matching the President's request, while the Senate's passed budget resolution (S.Con.Res. 20, incorporated into H.Con.Res. 83, passed Senate April 6) increases discretionary spending 8%, to, among other spending provisions, help accommodate an additional $2.7 billion for R&D. On May 9, and 10, the House and Senate, respectively, passed the H.Con.Res. 83 conference report (see H.Rept. 107-55) which contains a 5% increase for overall discretionary spending."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moteff, John D.
2001-05-15
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Defense Research: A Primer on the Department of Defense's Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) Program [Updated July 14, 1999]
"This report describes the basic elements and issues of the Department of Defense's (DOD) Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) Program. It defines basic activities supported by the program, presents budget trends, discusses the management of program, and describes the infrastructure in which the program is implemented. This report is for staff new to the area of defense research and for senior staff interested in historical trends. This report will be updated periodically. For tracking congressional action on the current year's budget, the reader is referred to the Issue Brief entitled Defense Research: DOD's Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) Program, by the same author."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moteff, John D.
1999-07-14
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Critical Infrastructure and Key Assets: Definition and Identification [October 1, 2004]
"The National Strategy for the Physical Protection of Critical Infrastructures and Key Assets (NSPP) details a major part of the Bush administration's overall homeland security strategy. Implementing this Strategy requires clear definition of 'critical infrastructures' and 'key assets.' Although the Strategy provides such definitions, the meaning of 'critical infrastructure' in the public policy context has been evolving for decades and is still open to debate. Twenty years ago, 'infrastructure' was defined primarily with respect to the adequacy of the nation's public works. In the mid-1990's, however, the growing threat of international terrorism led policy makers to reconsider the definition of 'infrastructure' in the context of homeland security. Successive federal government reports, laws and executive orders have refined, and generally expanded, the number of infrastructure sectors and the types of assets considered to be 'critical' for purposes of homeland security. The USA PATRIOT Act of 2001(P.L. 107-56) contains the federal government's most recent definition of 'critical infrastructure.' The NSPP contains the most recent detailed list of critical infrastructures and assets of national importance. The list may continue to evolve, however, as economic changes or geopolitical developments influence homeland security policy."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moteff, John D.; Parfomak, Paul W.
2004-10-01
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Critical Infrastructure Protections: The 9/11 Commission Report and Congressional Response [Updated October 20, 2004]
"Many of the recommendations made in the 9/11 Commission's report deal indirectly with critical infrastructure protection, especially as the goals of critical infrastructure protection have evolved to include countering the type of attack that occurred on September 11. However, relatively few recommendations in the Commission's report address critical infrastructure protection specifically. These call for using a systematic risk management approach for setting priorities and allocating resources for critical infrastructure protection. The Commission discussed in more detail issues related to transportation security. However, none of these recommendations advocate a change in the direction of, or the organizational structures that have evolved to implement, existing infrastructure protection policies. Nevertheless, the Commission's recommendations could speed up implementation in some areas, given the attention and renewed urgency expressed by the Commission. This report will be updated as appropriate."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moteff, John D.
2004-10-20
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Internet: An Overview of Key Technology Policy Issues Affecting Its Use and Growth [Updated August 20, 2004]
"The growth of the Internet may be affected by a number of issues being debated by Congress. This report summarizes several key technology policy issues. Internet privacy issues encompass concerns about information collected by website operators and by 'spyware,' and separately about the extent to which law enforcement officials or employers monitor an individual's Internet activities. The 2001 USA PATRIOT Act (P.L. 107-56) has raised concerns among privacy advocates because of new authorities granted to law enforcement officials. Broadband Internet access gives users the ability to send and receive data at speeds far greater than current Internet access over traditional telephone lines. With deployment of broadband technologies beginning to accelerate, Congress is seeking to ensure fair competition and timely broadband deployment to all sectors and geographical locations of American society. Since the mid-1990s, commercial transactions on the Internet- called electronic commerce (e-commerce)- have grown substantially. Among the issues facing Congress are encryption procedures to protect e-commerce transactions, extension of the three-year tax moratorium on domestic e-commerce taxation, the impact of the USA PATRIOT Act, and how the policies of the European Union and the World Trade Organization (WTO) may affect U.S. e-commerce activities." This report also addresses the new federal anti-spam law, the administration and governance of the Internet's domain name system, and the evolving role of the Internet in the political economy of the United States.
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moteff, John D.; Smith, Marcia S.; Kruger, Lennard G.
2004-08-20
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Critical Infrastructures: Background, Policy, and Implementation [Updated August 7, 2003]
"The nation's health, wealth, and security rely on the production and distribution of certain goods and services. The array of physical assets, processes and organizations across which these goods and services move are called critical infrastructures (e.g. electricity, the power plants that generate it, and the electric grid upon which it is distributed). Computers and communications, themselves critical infrastructures, are increasingly tying these infrastructures together. There has been growing concern that this reliance on computers and computer networks raises the vulnerability of the nation's critical infrastructures to 'cyber' attacks. On November 22, 2002, Congress passed legislation creating a Department of Homeland Security. The Department consolidates into a single department a number of offices and agencies responsible for implementing various aspects of homeland security. One of the directorates created by the legislation is responsible for Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection. Issues include whether to segregate cyber protection from physical protection organizationally, mechanisms for sharing information shared between the government and the private sector, costs, the need to set priorities, and whether or not the federal government will need to employ more direct incentives to achieve an adequate level of protection by the private sector and states, and privacy versus protection. This report will be updated as warranted."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moteff, John D.
2003-08-07
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Internet: An Overview of Key Technology Policy Issues Affecting Its Use and Growth [Updated December 29, 2004]
"The growth of the Internet may be affected by a number of issues being debated by Congress. This report summarizes the following technology policy issues; internet privacy issues encompass concerns about information collected by website operators and by 'spyware,' and about the extent to which law enforcement officials are allowed to monitor an individual's Internet activities. Congress has passed several laws already, but continues to debate what other legislation may be needed, computer and Internet security in both the government and private sectors. Issues have also been raised about the vulnerability of the nation's critical infrastructures (e.g. electrical power supply) to cyber attacks. Issues for Congress include oversight and improvement of the protection of federal computer systems and cooperation with and between the private sectors, Broadband Internet access gives users the ability to send and receive data at speeds far greater than current Internet access over traditional telephone lines. With deployment of broadband technologies beginning to accelerate, Congress is seeking to ensure fair competition and timely broadband deployment to all sectors and geographical locations of American society, electronic commerce (e-commerce) -- have grown substantially. Among the issues facing Congress are encryption procedures to protect e-commerce transactions, extension of the three-year tax moratorium on domestic e-commerce taxation, the impact of the USA PATRIOT Act, and how the policies of the European Union and the World Trade Organization (WTO) may affect U.S. e-commerce activities, anti-spam law, the CAN-SPAM Act, permits, but does not require, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to create a 'do not e-mail' list similar to the National Do Not Call list for telemarketers. Whether to require the FTC to establish such a list, and the extent to which the new law will actually reduce the amount of spam, remain congressional issues in the wake of the law's enactment, internet's domain name system (DNS) is currently under transition from federal to private sector control. Congress is monitoring how the Department of Commerce is managing and overseeing this transition in order to ensure competition and promote fairness among all Internet constituencies, the evolving role of the Internet in the political economy of the United States continues to attract congressional attention. Among the issues are information technology research and development, the provision of online services by the government ('e-government'), and availability and use of 'open source' software."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moteff, John D.; Smith, Marcia S.; Kruger, Lennard G.
2004-12-29
