While many bills were held up by the bipartisan gridlock in Congress, some technology legislation did pass, such as patent reform. The technology industry looks ahead to the second session of the 112^th Congress for answers, including these three major issues.

 Spectrum: Two goals are trying to be accomplished with spectrum policy. First, wireless companies are vying for unused airwaves or spectrum occupied by others to help alleviate the high demand for broadband serices on smartphones and tablets. Second, public safety officers and first responders seek allocation of D-block spectrum to create a national public safety broadband network. Congress may be able to finish this work before the end of 2011.

 Cybersecurity: In 2011, legislation was introduced to require companies to notify customers if their data had been stolen, following a large number of high-profile cyber attacks. While lawmakers agree on the need for cybersecurity policy, there is still some differences with the specifics of the bill.

 Copyright: Controversial online piracy legislation will likely surface again in 2012. Both the Senate and House have introduced online piracy bills, which garner support from the entertainment, retail and pharmaceutical industries; however, Web companies and some civil liberties groups have united against the legislation.

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