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Ben Quayle on Technology |
Opponent's Argument for voting No:
[Rep. Waxman, D-CA]: This bill will cripple National Public Radio, public radio stations, and programming that is vital to over 27 million Americans. We are now voting to deny the public access to one of our Nation's most credible sources of news coverage. This bill does not save a penny. This legislation does not serve any fiscal purpose, but it does serve an ugly ideological one. This legislation is not about reforming NPR. It is about punishing NPR. It is vindictive, it is mean-spirited, it is going to hit the smallest stations in rural areas particularly hard. Public radio is indispensable for access to news that's hard to get, especially where broadband service is limited.
Congressional Summary:Stop Online Piracy Act or SOPA (in the Senate, Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act or the PROTECT IP Act, or PIPA) :
OnTheIssues Notes: SOPA and PIPA, proponents claim, would better protect electronic copyright ("IP", or Intellectual Property). Opponents argue that SOPA and PIPA would censor the Internet. Internet users and entrepreneurs oppose the two bills; google.com and wikipedia.com held a "blackout" on Jan. 18, 2012 in protest. An alternative bill, the OPEN Act was proposed on Jan. 18 to protect intellectual property without censorship; internet businesses prefer the OPEN Act while the music and movie industries prefer SOPA and PIPA.
The House Committee on Science, Space and Technology has jurisdiction over non-defense federal scientific research and development. Specifically, the committee has partial or complete jurisdiction over the following federal agencies: NASA, the Department of Energy, EPA, NSF, FAA, NOAA, National Institute of Standards and Technology, FEMA, and United States Geological Survey.
| Subcommittee | Chair | Ranking Member |
|---|---|---|
| Technology and Innovation | David Wu (D-OR) | Adrian Smith (R-NE) |
| Energy and Environment | Brian Baird (D-WA) | Bob Inglis (R-SC) |
| Investigations and Oversight | Brad Miller (D-NC) | Paul Broun (R-GA) |
| Research and Science Education | Dan Lipinski (D-IL) | Vern Ehlers (R-MI) |
| Space and Aeronautics | Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) | Pete Olson (R-TX) |