Cable operators back cyber security bill

Cable lobbyists say they will support a cyber security bill that was introduced by the House Thursday which could see Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA), Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) and other cable MSOs share information about traffic on their networks, including the IP addresses of alleged hackers.

The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011, which was introduced by leaders of the House Intelligence Committee, is aimed encouraging government agencies and telecom providers to share information. Cable operators that share information about subscribers could be protected from lawsuits filed by customers since the bill would exempt companies from liability for sharing data with the FBI, the National Security Agency and other government agencies.

The National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) said it supports the bill.

"We appreciate that this legislation avoids a prescriptive regulatory regime that does not fit the constantly evolving cyber threat environment and it appropriately allows individual companies to determine how they can best participate," NCTA president Michael Powell said in a prepared statement.

The bill could protect cable MSOs that help authorities track down subscribers who are using their networks to conduct illegal activities such as hacking a government computer. But it could also spark increased scrutiny from privacy advocates who have complained about ISPs that identify subscribers who use their networks to share copyrighted music and videos with other Web surfers.

For more:
- The Washington Post has this story

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