Cliff Stearns: “I just want to come down here to the House to lend my support and approval for H.R. 2369, the Wireless Privacy…”

“I just want to come down here to the House to lend my support and approval for H.R. 2369, the Wireless Privacy Enhancement Act. For me and my congressional district and for the State of Florida, the key, important aspect of this bill is the change made to protect the needs of the amateur radio community and the needs of news organizations and others that rely on scanners to perform their duties. As my colleagues know, my home State of Florida is slightly susceptible to natural disasters, and we are just now beginning to recover from the horrific tornado-driven storms from the past weekend. Without the aid of the amateur radio operators, Florida would suffer more during these disasters. The operators perform an invaluable service in helping coordinate disaster assistance. Therefore, I applaud the efforts of the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Tauzin) and the ranking member, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey) for addressing their needs. I strongly believe that this legislation will strengthen privacy in personal communications by allowing for the prosecution of either interception or divulgence of cellular and other radio communications, both analog and digital. This is a good bill.”