Subject: Re: Regulation on the net

From: [email-masked] (SIMONE ROSA-KNIGHT)
Date: Sun, 12 Mar 95 02:09:00 -0500

CD> @FROM   :[email-masked]
CD> @N SUBJECT:Re: Regulation on the net?

Randy, thought this might interest you enough to write your Senators!  
Simone

>I emailed my Senators.  Have you?
CD>[email-masked] wrote:
CD>: I picked up the following post on rec.music.gdead.  Although we
CD>: don't seem to "go up in flames" or get too racy in the garden,
CD>: it seems censorship may concern us all.

CD>: >                          NET REGULATION ON THE WAY?
CD>: >                                       
CD>: >    7 Mar 1995 14:54:56 -0500
CD>: >    Rutgers University
CD>: >   Post a followup article to newsgroup(s)
CD>: >   Send email reply to author: David Kuffler
CD>: >recently the following appeared in the congressional record:

CD>: >by Mr. Exon (for himself and Mr. Gorton)
CD>: >s.314 a bill to protect the public from misuse of the
CD>: >telecommunications  network and telecommunications devices and
CD>: >facilities; to the committee  on commerce, science, and
CD>: >transportation 

CD>: >THE COMMUNICATIONS DECENCY ACT

CD>: >Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce legislation to expand the
CD>: >decency provisions of the Communications Act of 1934 to clearly
CD>: >cover the  new technologies which are increasingly part of the
CD>: >American way of life.         As a strong supporter of
CD>: >telecommunications reform, I am anxious  to pass legislation which
CD>: >will free the private sector to create the  information
CD>: >superhighway.  This exciting technology will put  unprecedented
CD>: >information power into the hands of every citizen.  The
CD>: >opportunities for education, culture, and entertainment are
CD>: >limitless.         Sadly, there is a dark side to the bright 
flicker of 
CD>: >the computer  screen.  The explosion of technology also threatens
CD>: >an explosion of  misuse.  The legislation I introduce today, known
CD>: >as the COMMUNICATIONS  DECENCY ACT, establishes legal protections
CD>: >against that misuse.         It modernizes the current law against
CD>: >telecommunications misuse  in the digital age.
CD>: >        This legislation will extend and strengthen the
CD>: >protections which  exist harassing, obscene, and indecent phone
CD>: >calls to cover all such uses  of all telecommunications devices
CD>: >of and increase the penalties for misuse  the public switched
CD>: >network.         This much-needed legislation increases the
CD>: >penalties for obscene  cable and radio broadcasts.  The bill also
CD>: >insures that adult  pay-per-view programs are fully scrambled, so
CD>: >that homes which do not  subscribe to such services are not
CD>: >invaded by unwanted audio and video.   The legislation also
CD>: >prohibits the use of toll free 800 numbers from  being used as a
CD>: >ruse to charge callers or telephone numbers for adult and  other
CD>: >pay-per-call services.         In addition, the legislation
CD>: >modernizes the protections against  unauthorized eavesdropping on
CD>: >conversations, electronic or digital  communications.
CD>: >        In addition, this legislation includes provisions Senator
CD>: >Gorton  and I crafted last year to give cable operators the power
CD>: >to refuse to  transmit any public access or leased access program
CD>: >or portion of such  program which includes obscenity, indecency,
CD>: >or nudity.         Mr. President, the information superhighway
CD>: >should not become a  red light district.  This legislation will
CD>: >keep that from happening and  extend the standards of decency
CD>: >which have protected telephone users to  new telecommunications
CD>: >devices.         Once passed, our children and families will be
CD>: >better protected  from those who would electronically cruise the
CD>: >digital world to engage  children in inappropriate communications
CD>: >and introductions.  The Decency  Act will also clearly protect
CD>: >citizens from electronic stalking and  protect the sanctuary of
CD>: >the home from uninvited indecencies.... 

CD>: >        The Senetor went on to introduce an article from the
CD>: >Washington  Post of 8.2.94 entitled "Molesting Children by
CD>: >Computer" by Sandy  Rovner into the record.

CD>: >My comments: if there is any phrase more scary than "the standards
CD>: >of  decency" when uttered by a politician, I'm hard-pressed to
CD>: >think of it. 

CD>: >        the Senator wants to protect "children and families" Our
CD>: >law does  protect children where appropriate.  I don't understand
CD>: >families unless  it is a redundancy.  To me it shows the Senator
CD>: >wants to protect women  from the indecencies on the net as to his
CD>: >stereotypical world women are  identified with the family and
CD>: >children and need the same protection as  children.  The senator
CD>: >should leave the middle ages and realize that all  adults are
CD>: >capable of determining what they want to see for themselves. 

CD>: >        Query:  sould there be an information superhighway without
CD>: >the  indecent part.  it seems to me that the sharing of this
CD>: >material on the  net has led to its growth and popularity and
CD>: >would not exist to the  extent it does without it.

CD>: >        This is dangerous stuff folks.  I will get the text of the
CD>: >act as  soon as possible and reprint it here.  Under current law,
CD>: >obscenity and  indecency are determined by a jury applying
CD>: >community standards.  Thus,  suit can be brought anywhere the
CD>: >material in question ends up.  Thus, an  officer on a computer in
CD>: >more conservative areas of the country can  access material from
CD>: >elsewhere and bring suit in the conservative area   i.e
CD>: >forum-shopping.  Even more dangerous is the apparent political
CD>: >price  to be paid by not supporting any crime bill or family 
values bill
CD>: >. 

CD>: >        From the looks of this report, the bill was referred to
CD>: >committee  where it will be voted on and either returned to the
CD>: >Senate for a full  vote or it will die in committee to be
CD>: >reintroduced another day.  Contact  your local elected officials
CD>: >if you are at concerned by Big Brother.  The  paragraph about
CD>: >strengthening the protections which exist against unauthorized
CD>: >eavesdropping on conversations, electronic or digital
CD>: >communications surely does not apply to the government!! 

CD>: -- 
CD>: Sarah Webb
CD>: Richmond, Virginia USA
CD>: [email-masked]
CD> 

Paul E.Knight
OR
Simone A. Rosa-Knight
Atlanta, GA. 30340
Internet: [email-masked]
[email-masked]
404-491-7293
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