CTA Applauds Key Provisions Included in Spending Bill

The following statement is attributed to Michael Petricone, senior vice president of government affairs, Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™, regarding the House's inclusion of CLOUD Act and RAY BAUM'S Act in its spending legislation passed today:

 "CTA thanks the House of Representatives for taking steps to empower America's digital infrastructure for the 21st century. The inclusion of the CLOUD Act and RAY BAUM'S Act in today's legislation ensures Americans can safely create, share and collect electronic data while providing them the resources to do so.

 "Strengthening America's digital infrastructure is essential for the success of future U.S. innovation. For years, CTA has advocated provisions such as the CLOUD Act to ensure consumers have confidence their personal data is legally protected, no matter where it is stored, and the MOBILE NOW Act, provisions which are included in the RAY BAUM'S Act, to increase the bandwidth that fuels America's wireless technology. 

"America's global standing is dependent on modernizing our privacy laws and data flow to match the realities of our connected world. We commend the House's leadership for protecting consumer rights and promoting American innovation."

 The CLOUD Act requires baseline privacy, human rights and rule of law standards in order for a country to enter into an agreement with the U.S. The RAY BAUM'S Act includes key provisions such as authorizing the FCC with a spectrum auction deposit "fix", as well as the MOBILE NOW Act to boost the development of next-generation 5G wireless broadband by identifying more spectrum - both licensed and unlicensed - for private sector use and reducing the red tape associated with building wireless networks.