Technology has caught wind around Washington as Members of Congress and the administration consider solutions to industry issues such as privacy, cybersecurity, piracy, and spectrum. Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee argued at a hearing about the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) that digital communication laws are outdated and seriously in need of an update to clear up discrepancies. Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) voiced concern that confusion with the current law can hinder the ability of law enforcement officials to access email and mobile communications for crime investigations and national security matters.

Leaders of a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee expressed their own concern over matters of cybersecurity. The committee leaders sent a letter Wednesday to Epsilon’s parent company, Alliance Data Systems, seeking answers about the data breach of e-mail accounts which occurred last week. "In the simplest fashion, a criminal can easily create a phishing e-mail that could lead an unwitting consumer into financial disaster," commented Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee Chairwoman Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.)

Additionally, House Judiciary Intellectual Property Subcommittee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) has asked for Google to do more to combat online piracy, specifically citing concern for Google’s timeliness in taking down infringing content. Judiciary Committees in both chambers of Congress are expected to take up online piracy legislation in the coming weeks.

The administration is stepping into the ring as the White House is ramping up pressure on Congress to move ahead with spectrum auctions, arguing the step is crucial for economic growth. "Airwave auctions are the way to help all Americans gain access to the mobile Internet, which was one of the goals outlined in President Obama’s State of the Union address," administration officials stated. House Republicans are planning to hold a hearing next week to further examine the issue.