National Asset Act of 2010 became synonymous with the nickname "The Kill Switch Bill" when to the shock of many it was purposed that the president have the power to shut down the internet. When questioned about the bill Lieberman responded “Right now, China, the government, can disconnect parts of its Internet in a case of war. We need to have that here, too.” I wonder how that's working for them over there.
If this shocks you, you would be more shocked to learn
the president already possesses this power [the Communications Act of 1934 that created the FCC. Section 706 gives the president authority, in a state or threat of war, to “cause the closing of any facility or station for wire communication” with no advance warning] Therefore the original bill was later revised and turned into the “Cybersecurity and Internet Freedom Act of 2011” to which we are now under. In a nut shell it amounts to the Department of Homeland Security being able to issue decrees to privately owned companies in a cyber emergency.
Other further reading on this topic
Tech Crunch - In Search Of The Internet Kill Switch
Washington Times - The Internet Kill Switch Rebooted
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