Sens. Push for Government Cybersecurity Authority

"The senators backing sweeping and controversial legislation to overhaul U.S. cybersecurity policy pressed their cause Tuesday, signaling in a hearing that they have no intention of backing down from a dramatic expansion of executive authority to respond to an attack on the nation's digital infrastructure.

""This hearing is a next step in examining the important action we should be taking, right now -- as a government and as a national economy -- to harden our defenses and safeguard critical infrastructure against a major cyber attack," said Commerce Committee Chairman John Rockefeller (D-WV).

"Rockefeller, along with Olympia Snowe (R-ME), jointly introduced the Cybersecurity Act of 2009 last April, legislation that drew immediate protests from groups that warned against provisions in the bill that could supersede privacy laws in the event of a cyber attack and give the president authority to take temporary control over private networks."

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