Wiley Rein’s Megan Brown Discusses Cybersecurity at FCBA Conference

Megan L. Brown, a partner in Wiley Rein’s Communications, Litigation and Appellate Practices, was quoted yesterday in a Communications Daily article on the growing cyber threat and policy-makers’ responses, including President Obama’s Executive Order. Ms. Brown was part of a May 17 panel discussion on cybersecurity, organized by the Federal Communications Bar Association.

Some experts warn that if U.S. lawmakers fail to strengthen the nation’s defenses, a cyberattack on critical infrastructures could be as catastrophic as a ballistic missile attack, according to the article.

President Obama’s executive order on cybersecurity, issued in February, seemed “designed to catalyze legislation,” Ms. Brown said. There is a need for some federal policy direction because without it, among other things, states may adopt their own measures, and companies could end up having to comply with 50 different sets of regulations, she added.

Increasing state regulatory interest in cybersecurity may be “a consequence of the vacuum of federal direction,” Ms. Brown said.