The House, over protests from the White House and some congressional Democrats, last week approved legislation to make electronic signatures legal.
The measure, which passed by a 356-66 margin, comes as more and more commerce moves to the Internet, which is becoming increasingly accessible by mobile phones and other wireless devices. The Clinton administration and some Democrats argued the bill did not contain enough consumer safeguards.
The House legislation provides some flexibility for state law to eclipse federal law in the governance of electronic business transactions. A companion Senate bill is pending.
Legislation to privatize the International Maritime Satellite Organization and the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization is headed for a House-Senate conference committee. The House approved its version of the bill last week.
In addition to privatizing United Nations-chartered Inmarsat and Intelsat-a change favored by U.S. mobile satellite firms-the bill also would allow Lockheed Martin Corp. to go forward with its acquisition of Comsat Corp. Comsat, based in Bethesda, Md., is the U.S. signatory to Intelsat and Inmarsat.
Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) wrote President Clinton last week to urge that the administration’s recently announced encryption policy not be undermined by burdensome federal regulations.
The lawmakers said restrictive rules threaten to put the nation’s industry at a competitive disadvantage in the global technology marketplace.
A provision that would help real estate investment trusts offer telecom and Internet services is attached to several bills that Congress is considering before it adjourns for the year.
The Personal Communications Industry Association is lobbying for language that it said would strengthen the provision by ensuring that offerings of telecom services by REITs be fair and nondiscriminatory. PCIA supports House and Senate legislation that would provide competitive telecom access to federal and commercial buildings.
