SOPA, PIPA the storyline at 2012 CES - And: Lawmakers talk SOPA tweaks, committee plays - Also: Spectrum, FCC news, LIT dinner and more from the show - VanRoekel on FedRamp controls Presented by Comcast

With help from David Saleh Rauf, Eliza Krigman and Jen Martinez

SOPA, PIPA BUZZ STILL THE POLICY STORYLINE AT CES — Opponents and supporters squared off for another day at the big show, with foes in particular passing out pins and wristbands as they stumped against the bills. As the drama unfolds, here’s the latest from Vegas:


--HOPE FOR A SECOND MANAGER’S AMENDMENT? The big question coming out of a panel discussion featuring lawmakers here on Wednesday was whether a second manager’s amendment to SOPA might be coming down the line. Rep. Darrell Issa said he has not seen any such amendment but alluded to early talks among panel Republicans (first reported by POLITICO) to drop the bill’s DNS provisions.

For now, folks on House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith’s team didn’t comment on the speculation. Still, some members are waiting for any word of incoming changes to the bill. In an interview after the panel concluded, Rep. Cliff Stearns stressed to MT that he didn’t think “anybody should have a strong position” on SOPA until any possible second manager’s amendment is made public. We’re tracking.

--PUSH TO SPREAD IT ACROSS COMMITTEES: There’s been some effort to get other committees in on the SOPA action. It’s an idea both Issa and Rep. John Shimkus said Wednesday they supported, with Shimkus suggesting specifically that the House Energy and Commerce Committee (of which he is a member) should get a piece of the pie.

We chatted with Shimkus later in the day, and he told MT that conversations have already started between telecom panel Chairman Greg Walden, full committee chief Fred Upton and other top Republicans about this possibility. “I’ve been on the committee for a long time, and this [bill] has such an aspect of concern by multiple sectors,” Shimkus said, noting the E&C process could address some of his issues with the bill. A committee spokesperson, however, did not immediately return comment to POLITICO.

--MEANWHILE, RIAA REACTS: There are far more SOPA/PIPA opponents than supporters on hand here, as one might expect. The RIAA, however, is also on scene this week at the show — and a spokeswoman expressed concern about the conversation so far. "It sure seems like the deck is stacked to ensure no meaningful or balanced debate occurs on an issue that is very important to American jobs and our economy,” the spox said.

--SMITH OFFERS THOUGHTS, TOO: The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee told us in a statement that it is “disappointing that some SOPA critics appear not to have read the bill. The Stop Online Piracy Act only targets foreign websites that are primarily dedicated to illegal and infringing activity. It does not grant the Justice Department the authority to seek a court order to shut down any website operated in the U.S.” He added SOPA only “extends enforcement of property rights protections that apply to domestic websites to those that operate abroad” and would not “censor the Internet.”

MORE CES NEWS, including thoughts from the FCC commissioners, federal IT developments and, of course, SOPA — below the jump.

TODAY ON POLITICO PRO:

--CLOUD PUSH MOVES TOO FAST: A new study finds that some IT employees remain concerned by the administration’s “Cloud First” strategy, David Saleh Rauf reports. http://politico.pro/AbsQGL

--KAPLAN TALKS WIRELESS: Eliza Krigman chats about incentive auctions, LightSquared and interoperability with FCC wireless chief Rick Kaplan. http://politico.pro/AmK1t3

Good Thursday morning from Las Vegas, it’s time for your Morning Tech. It’s actually your MT-er’s last day here in Sin City, and he’s determined to get in some real gambling time before heading back to D.C. — even if it means hitting the weird slots in McCarran. Send over some lucky numbers with those comments and tips to [email protected] and @ tonyromm. Find the full crew’s info below the jump.

MT TAKES A DAY OFF — We’re sleeping in a bit after CES, and enjoying the MLK break, so don’t expect an MT from us on Monday. But we’ll be back bright and early on Tuesday.

FACEBOOK AND THE N.H. PRIMARY — “If Mitt Romney was worried about a late surge from Rick Santorum toppling him in Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary, his fans on Facebook knew better. According to an exclusive survey of all U.S. Facebook users provided to POLITICO by Facebook, the volume of posts, status updates, links shared to friends’ walls and user comments about Romney in the days leading up to the Granite State primary predicted a strong finish. On Jan. 10, primary day, Romney reached over 100,000 mentions on the social network, about the same number as Ron Paul, who finished second in New Hampshire. ... Though Santorum shot to within eight voters of Romney in the Jan. 3 Iowa caucus, he actually saw a significant drop-off in Facebook interest immediately afterward.” MORE: http://politi.co/zinRZH

AND LOOK FOR MORE INSIGHTS about the intersection of politics and social media, as POLITICO and Facebook team up to track the conversation about the GOP candidates ahead of the South Carolina primary on Jan. 21.

MORE FROM THE 2012 INTERNATIONAL CES:

--HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE LIT DINNER: Hill staffers, admin officials, tech industry reps and more gathered at the Wynn on Wednesday night for CEA’s big Leaders in Technology dinner. Among the highlights: Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, one of the speakers, stressed the state is “on the move” and working hard to attract new tech business in the aftermath of the recession. Later in the evening, eBay President and CEO Brian Donahoe delivered a keynote that stressed the “intersection of technology and retail before our very eyes is transforming the retail industry.” He predicted there would be “more change in how consumers shop and pay in the next three years than in the last decade,” stressing that social, local, mobile and digital trends would reshape the industry.

--ON TAP TODAY: Acting Deputy Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank opens a session on tech and innovation at 10:30 a.m. ... CEA and others talk green standards at noon ... The conversation about counterfeit goods continues at 1:30 p.m. ... and a panel on product refurbishment in the developing world begins at 3 p.m.

--FCC, PARTY OF THREE: Speaking on a panel late Wednesday, FCC Commissioners Robert McDowell and Mignon Clyburn fielded one of the questions on most Washington telecom stakeholders’ minds: How is the agency going to operate at three? McDowell, for his part, noted he had experience in that environment — and it was with three commissioners that he said the agency handled “perhaps the most daunting and complicated task the FCC has ever faced,” the DTV transition. McDowell also said the agency then “worked quite well,” and he later praised the two nominees as some of the best around. “I don’t want anyone to think just because we're down to three that we're not open for business; we are,” he said. Clyburn, meanwhile, reminded folks that the FCC still retains its “full staff complement” even at a reduced size.

--VANROEKEL: FedRAMP CONTROLS STILL EVOLVING: Cloud firms and federal IT vendors gathered in Northern Virginia on Wednesday for the second official FedRAMP industry day. On the minds of many at the meeting: Will the White House be open to altering a security checklist cloud firms will have to meet to satisfy the program? Federal CIO Steve VanRoekel, nearly 2,500 miles away in Las Vegas for CES, had an answer: You bet.

“We know the design of FedRAMP needs to be flexible enough so that our security stance and the way we look at cyber can continually evolve,” he said at the show, which Washington types had the chance to follow via teleconference. “The reason we’re having those industry days is to target and gather that feedback. It’s an important step in defining FedRAMP.” (More from VanRoekel at CES, including his newly unveiled mobile roadmap, for Pros: http://politico.pro/yon5p1)

--ICYMI: SPECTRUM! It’s the other s-word here, besides SOPA. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski reacted late Wednesday to the House GOP spectrum bill, criticizing it (without naming it specifically) for tying up the FCC ( http://politico.pro/AE75iO). But Neil Fried, top House E&C telecom staffer, earlier in the day at a panel led by your MT-er defended the bill as written, saying it doesn’t handicap the agency as some say it does. He also noted strict auction conditions had negatively affected the C-Block sale. (More, for Pros: http://politico.pro/zl4WTG)

** A message from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA): Americans create valuable inventions, content and ideas. To continue this storied tradition — and solidify prospects for future generations — we must return innovation to its rightful place at the center of America's economic policy. Pledge your commitment to innovation and sign CEA’s Declaration of Innovation at www.DeclareInnovation.com. **

MEANWHILE, IN WASHINGTON . . .

CROCKER: PULLING DNS BLOCKING PROVISIONS FROM SOPA/PIPA WOULD BE ‘FANTASTIC’ — That's what the chair of the ICANN board of directors told MT. In his capacity as chief executive of Shinkuro, Crocker has joined with Dan Kaminsky and other Internet engineers to raise security concerns about the domain name-related provisions in SOPA and PROTECT IP.

Republican House Judiciary Committee staffers discussed last week dropping a controversial domain name-blocking provision from the bill, but no decisions have been made. "DNS filtering is a very bad idea," Crocker said. "All of us would like to emphasize that we're not opposed to combating piracy and we're happy for the other elements of the bill that are focused on getting at the money flow and the advertising chain. It's a question of using the right tools to get the job done and not having consequential damage and unintended consequences."

THE BYOD PUSH — The folks over at Agilex, which touts itself as the first authorized systems integrator for Apple to exclusively serve the federal market, have a new acronym for the federal IT ecosystem: BYOD. It means “bring your own device”— as in, federal workers getting to tap their agencies secure networks with their personal iPad, iPhone or Android gadgets. The idea and even the acronym are nothing new to the private sector.

Agilex CTO Tim Hoechst tells MT that agencies “all dream” about getting there, but they’re currently maneuvering through a series of complex policy and legal questions. “They really like the idea of saving money and easing the burden on employees from having to carry multiple devices,” he said. “And we say that’s not as far away as some might think, but, yes, it’s not tomorrow.” But before agencies start thinking about that, they have to gear up their networks to support a multitude of devices to support BYOD. “That is becoming a term,” Hoechst says, “that is being thrown around the federal IT industry.”

BSA OUTLINES CYBER PRIORITY AREAS IN SENATE LETTER — BSA outlines in a new letter to the Senate six priority areas that Congress should focus on when crafting cybersecurity legislation. The priorities include reforming FISMA, promoting real-time information sharing about cyberthreats between the public and private sectors and updating laws to stiffen penalties for cybercrimes. Read the letter in full here: http://politico.pro/A5qksM

TODAY: DONOHUE TO TALK IP IN ADDRESS — U.S. Chamber chief Tom Donohue is set to deliver his annual State of American Business address today, and you can expect him to touch on IP. Per a snippet of his remarks, obtained by MT: “This year, we are asking lawmakers to pass balanced legislation to crack down on foreign websites whose only purpose is to trick consumers, steal American jobs and pollute the vibrant internet marketplace.”

ALSO TODAY — Francisco Sanchez, Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade, will deliver a speech at a National Association of Manufacturer's luncheon on what the Obama administration is doing to encourage innovation and advanced manufacturing to boost job growth. The Council of Manufacturing Associations, a branch of NAM, "is partnering with the International Trade Administration to join its New Market Exporter Initiative that assists manufacturers in locating potential distributors, sales representatives and buyers with greater ease and efficiency," according to an ITA release. The event takes place at the Gaylord National Hotel at the National Harbor, and the speech begins at 1:15 pm.

SPEED READ, by Eliza Krigman:

GOOGLE IN CHINA: The WSJ reports the company might be softening its stance and expanding. http://on.wsj.com/yxeoSG

FACEBOOK’S RAPID GROWTH — The uber-popular social networking site continues to replace foreign countries’ incumbent SNS as the preferred platform on a trajectory of unstoppable growth, the San Jose Mercury News reports: http://bit.ly/y9qgoc

STYLE OVER SUBSTANCE — The focus for companies’ unveiling new gadgets may be more about how smoothly and stylishly the new products work than the devices themselves, WSJ reports: http://on.wsj.com/xlVogP

IBM PATENT KING — For the 19th year in a row, IBM topped the list of patent winners, PC World reports: http://bit.ly/yqyhYw

MICROSOFT BEATS YAHOO IN SEARCH — Microsoft’s share of the search engine market eclipsed Yahoo, making it the second-largest search engine in the U.S., Business Insider reports: http://read.bi/AwTf7d

TIME WARNER/MSG FACE-OFF: A stand-off between Time Warner Cable and MSG means many New Yorkers are missing out on sport’s coverage, NYT reports: http://nyti.ms/x88IjK

RON PAUL WINNING ON TWITTER: Ron Paul is the Republican presidential candidate discussed most positively on Twitter, TechCrunch reports: http://tcrn.ch/yIdURP

GOOGLE, SEARCH AND FACEBOOK: Eric Eldon of TechCrunch makes the case that Google’s decision to give Google+ preferential treatment could be an effort to draw regulator’s attention to Facebook: http://tcrn.ch/zcrSMQ

[Tips, comments, suggestions? Send them along via email to our team: Tony Romm ([email protected], @tonyromm), Kim Hart ([email protected], @khart), Jen Martinez ([email protected], @jenmartinez), Eliza Krigman ([email protected], @ekspectacular), Elizabeth Wasserman ([email protected], @elizwasserman), Brooks Boliek ([email protected], @technocowboy) Mike Zapler ([email protected], @mikezapler), Michelle Quinn ([email protected], @MichelleQuinn) and David Saleh Rauf ([email protected], @davidrauf).]

** A message from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA): We, the people of the United States of America, hold these truths to be self-evident — that great innovators drive America's unsurpassed economic success; that innovation creates jobs, markets and industries where none existed before; and that innovation moves us forward as a nation, pushing us to succeed and strive for a better tomorrow. CEA’s Innovation Movement urges policies that promote innovation and believes that American innovators should be able to buy and sell their products around the world; that more spectrum must be available for wireless broadband; in welcoming the best and brightest minds to the United States; and in cutting the federal deficit. Learn more about how you can help ensure innovation remains the strategic advantage of the U.S. and pledge your commitment to innovation by signing CEA’s Declaration of Innovation at www.declareinnovation.com. **

Follow us on Twitter Heidi Vogt @HeidiVogt



Alexandra S. Levine @ali_lev



John Hendel @johnhendel



Cristiano Lima @viacristiano



Leah Nylen @leah_nylen



Steven Overly @stevenoverly



Nancy Scola @nancyscola