Conflict builds over Congress’ latest reform bill
Communications Decency Act threatens access to ‘Net information,
opponents say
By Jason Packman
Daily Bruin Contributor
The last time legislation came out of Washington that dealt with
telecommunication, people still huddled in front of a radio to
listen to President Franklin Roosevelt’s fireside chats and watched
newsreels at theaters to see a world edging closer toward war.
More than 60 years later, after people have watched coalition
forces bomb Baghdad live on CNN and followed the abortive Red Army
coup during the last days of the Soviet Union second by second on
the Internet, Congress had yet to react to these changes in
information technology.
That all changed Thursday when both houses of Congress
overwhelmingly passed the Telecommunications Bill, which President
Bill Clinton promised to sign within a week. The bill will bring
massive changes to the telecommunications industry, the cornerstone
of the post-industrial Information Age, which accounts for
one-sixth of the nation’s economy
The reforms include deregulation of local telephone and cable
services, which have long been local monopolies, allowing
long-distance telephone companies and cable companies to enter each
others businesses, and letting individual companies own a larger
share of media than they can now.
Anticipation of market deregulation has already generated
massive repositioning in the telecommunications market. The Capital
Cities/ABC-Disney merger, as well as AT&T’s plan to break up
into three companies, were all done in preparation for the passage
of this bill.
However, in addition to massive deregulation policies, it also
brings new content regulations to the Internet, designed to limit
the transmission of indecent material to minors.
Television makers also will be required to make television sets
with a device, commonly known as the V-chip, which will allow
people to stop violent and other undesirable programs from being
viewed (especially by minors).
Supporters are hailing the massive reform bill, saying that it
will unleash free-market competition in a telecommunications
industry that has been held back by outdated regulations. They
anticipate this will bring more jobs as consumers gain more choices
and a potential for lower rates for cable and telephone services,
as well as other communication services.
Opponents, however, say that the new reforms will help
consolidate the industry into a few big companies, which will mean
fewer jobs and consumer choices, as well as higher phone and cable
rates.
The most controversial aspect of the bill, however, is the
Communications Decency Act, which will ban the transmission of
indecent material to minors over the Internet. This provision has
outraged civil libertarians, claiming that the language is overly
broad, and the act is unconstitutional.
Topics ranging from homosexuality to fears of government power
have long been a part of the Internet. Computer users and
organizations, such as Electronic Frontier Foundation, are strongly
libertarian in their outlook. They fear that this bill will
threaten the information access and debate now enjoyed on the
Internet.
"Providers of online content, such as authors of World Wide Web
documents, or hosts of AOL (America Online) forums, will find
themselves forced to ‘dumb down’ all information as entertainment
that they provide into little more than a cleansed, thin collection
of ‘G-rated’ material suitable for children," an Electronic
Frontier Foundation statement read.
These effects would be felt worldwide, as shown by CompuServe’s
recent pulling of "offensive" material accessed through the
Internet after a request by the German government.
Bruin OnLine , which provides thousands of students free access
to the Internet, could be affected as well by these provisions.
"With the Internet, something may be perfectly legal where it is
published, but illegal where it is consumed. The publisher should
not be held responsible for this as long as their material is legal
where their server resides," said Richard Kroon, manager at the
Student Technology Center, the support center for students who use
Bruin OnLine.
The television industry is also upset with the V-chip
requirement, maintaining that it will hurt advertising revenue; the
industry has said that it will sue to keep this requirement from
becoming law.
Even those who dislike these two provisions of the legislation
wholeheartedly support the overall goals of the legislation
itself.
"I have concerns with how they are going to (restrict indecent
material), and I’m not sure it’s constitutional. I also have
concerns about the V-chip provision," said Jeff Cole, director of
the UCLA Center for Communication Policy.
However, he said that these concerns are minor when compared to
the larger issues that the bill addresses. "Overall, I think it’s a
good thing," he said.
Those opposed to the restriction of content, however, said that
the future of the Internet is at stake.
"If these provisions of the Telecommunications Bill survive
constitutional challenges, this will infringe on free expression
and place a restrictive hold on the still evolving Internet
community," Kroon said.
The text of the Telecommunications Bill can be found at Thomas:
Legislation on the Internet, a service of the U.S. Congress, at
http://thomas.loc.gov.Comments to webmaster@db.asucla.ucla.edu