Bipartisan Busy Work

WASHINGTON – A bipartisan trio of senators has introduced a new cybersecurity bill that eliminates the president's authority to switch off the Internet.

The "kill switch," as it's known, exists in the 1934 Telecommunications Act, which was amended in 1996. It gives the president powers to shut off all regulated telecommunications if he or she deems it vital to national security interests.

But that's not going to fly any more, say Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Tom Carper (D-DE) and Susan Collins (R-ME).

-------------- Remember about 2001 to 2008 the left circulated stories that Dubya would shut down the internet because it was a threat to his regime, the net was a "new era of outreach and information for the common man" ... that average folks would use this newfound tool of knowledge to unite and challenge the status quo. 'Course, all that outreach and info and uniting only gave us Obama and more quo.

Too many ISPs and too much economic activity for any US president to use a "kill switch." And if by some snowball in hell chance TPTB deemed a telecommunication blackout necessary it would be done legitimately as an emergency act, with certain websites and networks having their plug pulled (gamers and porn addicts are safe). Or just have Big Business refuse to host offending websites (e.g. Amazon/Wikileaks). No need to kill the entire internet.

Joe, Tom, Suzie - busy work, defined as a time consuming activity, but not useful (written by staffers, I'm sure Joe, Tom, Suzie have not read their own bill).