2018-06-26

AI, NTIA, Crypto, ZTE & CyberSecurity Hearings LIVE June 26-27 (video)

ZTE: A Threat to America’s Small Businesses

ZTE: A Threat to America’s Small Businesses | house.gov - "The Committee on Small Business will meet for a hearing titled, “ZTE: A Threat to America’s Small Businesses.”  The hearing is scheduled to begin at 11:00 A.M. EDT on Wednesday, June 27, 2018 in Room 2360 of the Rayburn House Office Building.

"This hearing will examine the imminent threat posed to America’s small businesses by the Chinese telecommunications firm ZTE. The hearing will provide committee members the opportunity to hear from national security experts and cybersecurity firms on steps the administration can take to protect small businesses and American citizens from the dangers presented by ZTE. The hearing will also investigate ongoing efforts being by both the public and private sectors to reduce the challenges small businesses face in dealing with illicit Chinese backed enterprises."

Hearing Notice (pdf); Witness List (pdf)--witnesses:
  • Mr. David Linger, President & CEO, TechSolve, Inc., Cincinnati, OH; 
  • Mr. Andy Keiser, Visiting Fellow, National Security Institute, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University, Arlington, VA; 
  • Mr. Matthew G. Olsen, President, IronNet Cybersecurity, Kensington, MD.
Editor's note: background--
  • US government action re: ZTE (pdf)
  • ZTE ceased most U.S. operations after the Trump administration imposed a ban in April. After that, the Trump administration reached a deal with ZTE which would allow it to continue doing business, which some in Washington now want Trump to reconsider, but other members of Congress support Trump’s deal with ZTE, noting it is the president’s prerogative to conduct foreign policy. For more read "U.S. senators want Trump to reconsider lifting ban on China's ZTE"--Reuters.com June 26, 2018. 

CyberSecurity: Examining The Trump Administration’s Government-Wide Reorganization Plan, Full House Committee On Oversight And Government Reform, Hearing Date: June 27, 2018 10:00 AM EDT. LIVE video and replay at link above.

The reform plan rolled out Thursday by the Office of Management and Budget makes addressing the federal government's cybersecurity workforce shortage among its priorities. It sets forth actions for OPM (Office of Personnel Management), the Department of Homeland Security, and the Pentagon to take to address the issue.

From the report: "The Federal Government struggles to recruit and retain cybersecurity professionals due to a shortage of talent along with growing demand for these employees across the public and private sectors ... The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), working in coordination with all Federal departments and agencies, will establish a unified cyber workforce capability across the civilian enterprise ... This Administration will work towards a standardized approach to Federal cybersecurity personnel, ensuring Government-wide visibility into talent gaps, as well as unified solutions to fill those gaps in a timely and prioritized manner."

The report (pdf) outlining the reform plan is embed below:

AI - With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

Artificial Intelligence (AI) – With Great Power Comes Great ResponsibilitySubcommittee on Research and Technology and Subcommittee on Energy Hearing - Date: Tuesday, June 26, 2018 - 10:30 am EDT.

Hearing Purpose: The purpose of the hearing is to understand the state of artificial intelligence technology and the difference between narrow and general intelligence. The hearing will also examine the types of research being conducted to advance artificial general intelligence technology and explore its game-changing potential and implications.

Witnesses:
  • Dr. Jaime Carbonell, director, Language Technologies Institute, and Allen Newell Professor, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University (Dr. Carbonell will not be present at the hearing.)
  • Dr. Tim Persons, chief scientist, GAO 

NTIA - Reauthorization Act of 2018

NTIA: The Subcommittee on Communications and Technology will hold a hearing on Tuesday, June 26, 2018, at 1:15 p.m. EDT, in 2322 Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing is entitled "DiscussionDraft: National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Reauthorization Act of 2018." [Editor's note: WHOIS & GDPR discussion begins at 1:45:47 in the video above.]

Witnesses:
  • The Honorable Michael D. Gallagher, CEO, Entertainment Software Association, Witness Statement (pdf)
  • The Honorable John Kneuer, President, JKC Consulting, Witness Statement
  • Ms. Joanne S. Hovis, President, CTC Technology and Energy, Witness Statement
Documents: Hearing Notice and Background Memo (pdf)--excerpt:
"Internet Governance: NTIA leads and participates in an interagency effort to develop American internet policy and works directly with stakeholders to develop policies that preserve an open, interconnected global internet, continued innovation, and economic growth. To that point, NTIA has jurisdiction over the Domain Name Service (DNS) and is the U.S. voice in the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)’s Government Advisory Committee, ICANN maintains and enforces contracts with all registrars, requiring them to continue to collect identifying information from registries during the domain registration process. This information is maintained by registrars in a WHOIS database, pursuant to the terms of the registrar’s contract with ICANN. The discussion draft contains a sense of Congress that states NTIA should work to ensure that the multistakeholder model of internet governance maintains the security, stability, and resiliency of the DNS, and that new laws and regulations around the world do not undermine the WHOIS service."
The hearing webcast will also be available at energycommerce.house.gov. The legislative text may be found here. #SubCommTech

Crypto: Protecting Our Elections: Examining Shell Companies and Virtual Currencies [Crypto] as Avenues for Foreign Interference - US Senate Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, Tuesday, June 26, 2018, at  2:30 P.M. EDT, Dirksen Senate Office Building 226. Presiding: Senator Graham. LIVE video and replay at link above.


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