Congress is now in recess. But before its members left town, back on Friday, Aug. 3, they rejected a bipartisan bill that would have established optional "cybersecurity" standards for the computer systems that operate the country's power grids, dams, transportation systems and other critical infrastructure.
This defeat -- led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce -- raises questions about the proper role of government vs. private industry in defending our country's critical infrastructure from cyberattacks.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the White House counterterrorism adviser, along with security experts who had served in the George W. Bush administration, detailed the nature of the cyberthreats faced by the United States and urged positive, timely Senate action on the cybersecurity bill.
According to the authorities who were urging passage of the bill, cyberattacks on America's critical infrastructure increased 17-fold between 2009 and 2011. They expressed alarm at the pace by which America's electricity grids, water supplies, computer and cellphone networks were coming under attack.
However, the Chamber of Commerce and other private corporate interests objected to the governmental imposition of cybersecurity standards and the associated costs that they believe private industry would have to incur in order to comply. This at a time when corporate profit margins are at an all-time high.
Experts say that, ironically, a cyberattack on critical U.S. infrastructure could cost private industry well into the billions of dollars.
We certainly have come a long way from the World War II days, when everyone acknowledged that partisanship should end at the border and that it was every American's duty to unite behind our government in support of the common defense.
For those who grew up with the concept of "shared sacrifice for the common good," it was disappointing to see such a much-needed piece of bipartisan legislation go down to defeat.