	Introduction

The continued growth of the Internet for personal, government, and business purposes may be affected by a number of technology policy issues being debated by Congress. Among them are access to and regulation of broadband (high-speed) Internet services, computer and Internet security, Internet privacy, the impact of "spam," concerns about what children may encounter (such as pornography) when using the Internet, management of the Internet Domain Name System, and government information technology management. Number of Users

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issues biannual reports on broadband Internet access service. Broadband Internet Regulation and Access17

Broadband Internet access gives users the ability to send and receive data at speeds far greater than conventional "dial up" Internet access over existing telephone lines. These issues are anticipated to continue to be a focus of the broadband policy debate in the 110 th Congress. Trust in one's system may be reduced. The Strategy assigned a number of responsibilities for coordinating the protection of the nation's information infrastructure to the Department of Homeland Security. In fact, the e-mail or website is controlled by a third party who is attempting to extract information that will be used in identity theft or other crimes. It does not ban unsolicited commercial e-mail. 268 , which expresses the sense of the Congress that the current system for management of the domain name system works, and that "the authoritative root zone server should remain physically located in the United States and the Secretary of Commerce should maintain oversight of ICANN so that ICANN can continue to manage the day-to-day operation of the Internet's domain name and addressing system well, remain responsive to all Internet stakeholders worldwide, and otherwise fulfill its core technical mission." Government Information Technology Management40

The evolving role of the Internet in the political economy of the United States continues to attract increased congressional attention to government information technology management issues. Although wide-ranging, some of the most significant information technology management challenges facing the federal government include FCC regulation of converging technologies, funding for information technology research and development, ongoing development and oversight of electronic government (e-government) initiatives, and the growing use of open source software by federal agencies. Following is such a summary of all laws that have been tracked in this report over the years, by topic. (CRS Report RS21328, Internet: Status Report on Legislative Attempts to Protect Children from Unsuitable Material on the Web , by [author name scrubbed], provides further information on this and other legislative efforts to protect children from unsuitable material on the Internet.)
In the decade between 1994 and 2004, the number of U.S. adults using the Internet increased from 15% to 63%, and by 2005, stood at 78.6%. From electronic mail to accessing information to watching videos to online purchasing, the Internet touches almost every aspect of modern life. The extent to which use of the Internet continues to grow, however, may be affected by a number of technology policy issues being debated in Congress.
First is the availability of high-speed—or "broadband"—Internet access. Broadband Internet access gives users the ability to send and receive data at speeds far greater than "dial-up" Internet access over traditional telephone lines. With deployment of broadband technologies accelerating, Congress is seeking to ensure fair competition and timely broadband deployment to all sectors and geographical locations of American society.
Next are a range of issues that reflect challenges faced by those who do use the Internet, such as security, privacy (including spyware and identity theft), unsolicited commercial electronic mail ("spam"), protecting children from unsuitable material (such as pornography), and computer security, including the vulnerability of the nation's critical infrastructures to cyber attacks.
Other issues include the Internet's domain name system (DNS), which is administered by a nonprofit corporation called the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). With the Department of Commerce currently exercising legal authority over ICANN, Congress continues to monitor the administration of the DNS, particularly with respect to issues such as privacy, governance, and protecting children on the Internet.
The evolving role of the Internet in the political economy of the United States also continues to attract congressional attention. Among the issues are what changes may be needed at the Federal Communications Commission in the Internet age, federal support for information technology research and development, provision of online services by the government ("e-government"), and availability and use of "open source" software by the government.
A number of laws already have been passed on many of these issues. Congress is monitoring the effectiveness of these laws, and assessing what other legislation may be needed. Other CRS reports referenced in this document track legislation, and the reader should consult those reports, which are updated more frequently than this one, for current information.
This report will not be updated.