It’s September 1st, which in Washington means Congress will becoming back to town soon. As Congress gets back to work, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has signaled that a major agenda item will be children’s online safety. While all such efforts are undoubtedly well intended, there are right ways and wrong ways to go about protecting the most vulnerable among us in cyberspace. Unfortunately, a lot of wrong ways, which weaken cybersecurity and privacy for all internet users young and old alike, are gaining traction. One of these proposals is mandated scanning of private, encrypted data on people’s devices. The glaring problem with this approach is that once weaknesses to privacy and security are created for the good guys looking for the bad stuff, those weaknesses still exist for the bad guys to exploit. Breaking proven tools like encryption in the name of protecting young people, as noble as that may be, by definition exposes young people who are protected by encryption to additional harms. In addition, these proposals to effectively deputize private companies to surveil their customers carry significant Fourth Amendment issues that will make it more difficult to prosecute bad actors when they are caught. The right approach to the very difficult problem of protecting young people from online predators is to continue to work with private firms on a voluntary basis to track down bad actors, as well as beefing up resources for both law enforcement and programs to educate young people and their parents about online safety tools and best practices.


State Bill of the Month: New Jersey S3560

Federal officials have discussed a nationwide ban on gas stoves and other kitchen appliances, while New York enacted a ban on gas hookups in most new residential buildings in May 2023. Banning gas stoves and mandating electric stove installation and use in new American homes is bad policy and bad for consumers. According to the National Fire Protection Association, four-fifths of cooking fires involve electric stoves. Elected officials seeking to replace gas-powered stoves with electric stoves are sacrificing individual safety for green initiative regulations. Moreover, gas stoves allow an individual to cook at an even, more consistent temperature compared to electric stoves. Also, gas stoves are 10 to 30 percent less costly than electric ones, while being sturdier and more compatible with a variety of cookware that is already accessible to consumers.

These burdensome regulations hurt taxpayers and consumers. A ban on gas stoves and other fossil fuel-powered appliances would essentially force taxpayers to choose other models that would be electric and would likely cost more. Costs for restaurants and other food-serving businesses would increase causing prices to increase with these mandates. Ultimately, consumers and small business owners should still be given the choice. In the New Jersey Legislature, more work is being done by legislators to stop the burdensome regulations facing everyday people in the Garden State.

S3560 would prohibit any governing authority from banning gas stoves and other kitchen appliances. Banning gas stoves and appliances is nothing more than an attempted overreach by our elected officials. This policy will allow New Jersey citizens’ to keep their decision-making for appliances in their own home and businesses. It is for these reasons, among others, that TPA is proud to make the S3560, and act concerning the regulation of kitchen appliances and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes, introduced by New Jersey Sens. Jonathan Pennacchio (R) and Steven V. Oroho (R), its Bill of the Month for August 2023.

Federal Bill of the Month: Broadband Buildout Accountability Act

The Taxpayers Protection Alliance’s (TPA) Bill of the Month for August 2023 is the Broadband Buildout Accountability Act, introduced by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas), alongside a diverse group of members. This legislation would make actions or decisions of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program (BEAD) subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
The BEAD Program was authorized $42.5 billion as a part of the $65 billion authorized for broadband infrastructure under the Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, P.L. 117 58). 

However, the NTIA plans to give favorable treatment to government owned networks (GONs). The notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) from NTIA waives matching funding requirements from GONs while maintaining stringent thresholds for privately owned networks. The NOFO also requires justification for grantors to explain why they awarded the funds to private providers over potential municipal networks, creating a clear preference for GONs. As the Taxpayers Protection Alliance has extensively documented, GONs have a poor track record for taxpayers, failing to deliver on promises, harming community credit ratings, and leaving taxpayers on the hook for mounting losses. 

Given NTIA’s choice to preference wasteful GONs, it is critical that more oversight be applied to BEAD as its billions are rolled out and funded projects begin. The Broadband Buildout Accountability Act strongly promotes transparency by subjecting BEAD to clear FOIA standards, allowing interested parties to request information on grants within the program. It is for these reasons, among others, that TPA is proud to make the Broadband Buildout Accountability Act, introduced by Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), John Thune (R-S.D.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), alongside Reps. August Pfluger (R-Texas), John Joyce (R-Pa.), Troy Balderson (R-Ohio), Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), Neal Dunn (R-Fla.), Randy Weber (R-Texas), and Russ Fulcher (R-Idaho), its Bill of the Month for August 2023.