->Subject: Fwd: Policy Post 2.4 - Congress May Vote Today on Net-Censorshi
->From: mtidmus@smtp.anomtec.com (Michael Tidmus)
->To: "Mark Swift" <mswift@smtp.anomtec.com>, "Tim Byars" <tbyars@overdrive.com>
->Mime-Version: 1.0
->Date: Thu, 1 Feb 1996 13:27:27 -0800
->
->Subject: Policy Post 2.4 - Congress May Vote Today on Net-Censorship
->Bil
->Sent: 02.01 10:01
->Received: 02.01 13:13
->From: CDT Editor, editor@cdt.org
->To: policy-posts@cdt_list.cdt.org
->
->---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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-> \_____|_____/ |_| /_/ \____/_/_/\___/\__, / /_/ \____/____/\__/
-> The Center for Democracy and Technology /____/ Volume 2, Number 4
->---------------------------------------------------------------------------
->-
-> A briefing on public policy issues affecting civil liberties online
->---------------------------------------------------------------------------
->-
-> CDT POLICY POST Volume 2, Number 4 February 1,
->1996
->
-> CONTENTS: (1) Congress May Vote Today (2/1) on Internet Censorship Bill
-> (2) Information About What You Can Do
-> (3) Subscription Information
-> (4) About CDT, contacting us
->
->This document may be redistributed freely provided it remains in its
->entirety
-> ** Excerpts may be re-posted by permission (editor@cdt.org) **
->---------------------------------------------------------------------------
->--
->
->(1) CONGRESS COULD VOTE ON FINAL PASSAGE OF THE CDA TODAY (Thurs 2/1)
->
->House and Senate members of the conference committee considering the
->telecommunications reform legislation, which includes the Exon
->"Communications Decency Act", are expected to give final approval to the
->bill today, paving the way for a vote in the House of Representatives as
->early as Thursday evening (2/1). The schedule for a Senate vote is
->unclear,
->although a vote before the end of the week is possible. President Clinton
->is expected to sign the bill.
->
->Even if no votes occur today, once the Conference Committee members agree
->to send the bill to the floor of the House and Senate, no further changes
->can be made.
->
->Ironically, the possible vote comes exactly one year to the day that
->Senator Exon introduced the original Communications Decency Act (Feb. 1,
->1995). Although significant changes have been made to the CDA since its
->introduction, the proposal is still an unprecedented violation of the
->First
->Amendment rights of all Internet users, and threatens to destroy the
->Internet as a viable means of free expression, education, and political
->discourse. CDT is committed to challenging this bill all the way to the
->supreme court, if necessary, to ensure that these provisions are
->overturned.
->
->The decision to bring the bill to a vote was unexpectedly announced late
->Wednesday 1/31 after Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-KS) dropped his
->objections to provisions granting broadcasters fee access to new digital
->spectrum.
->
->Despite the objections of civil liberties advocates and the
->telecommunications
->and computer industries, Congress is expected to pass the
->telecommunications
->bill with the CDA intact. However, if you feel strongly about this issue,
->you should continue to speak your mind. An Action Alert prepared by the
->Voters
->Telecommunications Watch (VTW) describing what you can do is attached
->below.
->
->CDT will post an analysis of the final legislation, along with statements
->from key members of Congress and other relevant information soon after the
->final vote. In the mean time, for more information, including the text
->and
->analysis of the latest proposal (Dec 21, 1995), see CDT's Net-Censorship
->Issues Web Page (http://www.cdt.org), or send email to <cda-info@cdt.org>
->
->___________________________________________________________________________
->___
->(2) TEXT OF THE VTW COALITION ALERT
->
->========================================================================
-> CAMPAIGN TO STOP THE NET CENSORSHIP LEGISLATION
-> (SEE THE LIST OF CAMPAIGN COALITION MEMBERS AT THE END)
->
-> Update: -Latest News: Congress could vote on Thurs (2/1/96) to
-> censor the Internet; passage is likely.
->
-> -What You Can Do Now: Call Congress and tell them
-> to remove the net censorship
-> language.
->
-> CAMPAIGN TO STOP THE UNCONSTITUTIONAL COMMUNICATIONS DECENCY ACT
-> Jan 31, 1996 (expires Feb 29, 1996)
->
-> PLEASE WIDELY REDISTRIBUTE THIS DOCUMENT WITH THIS BANNER INTACT
->
-> This alert authored by the Voters Telecommunications Watch (vtw@vtw.org)
->
->________________________________________________________________________
->CONTENTS
-> The Latest News
-> What You Can Do Now
-> Chronology of the CDA
-> For More Information
-> List Of Participating Organizations
->
->________________________________________________________________________
->THE LATEST NEWS
->
->The Internet censorship legislation, bundled with the Telecommunications
->Deregulation bill (S652/HR1555), would impose a speech standard on the
->Internet of "indecency", dumbing down public discourse on the net to
->only that which is appropriate for children. It could be voted on as
->early as this Thursday, 2/1/96.
->
->This legislation, available from http://www.cdt.org/cda.html, has changed
->consistently for the worse despite the best efforts over the last year of
->many public interest groups to bring it in line with the protections
->outlined
->in the First Amendment.
->
->Congress is poised to vote on Thursday, Feburary 1. We are not hopeful
->that Congress will reject the behemoth Telecommunications bill on the
->basis
->of the unconstitutional Internet censorship language. It is likely to
->pass,
->or be cemented in stone to prevent it from changing in any way before a
->future vote, should this one be delayed.
->
->This is one issue that, despite the legislative efforts of the best civil
->liberties representatives on the planet, will have to be resolved in
->court.
->
->________________________________________________________________________
->WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW
->
->It is unlikely that even a massive public outcry will be enough to defeat
->the Telecommunications Deregulation bill. We do feel that you should
->continue to speak your mind however, and remind Congress that you are
->concerned about the callousness with which they treat the First Amendment
->in a medium they often have little experience in. Remember, no matter
->how bad it gets this year, someone will probably introduce a similar
->bill next year, and we'll need to continue to educate these people all
->over
->again.
->
->1. Call your Senators and Representatives and tell them you find the
-> net censorship provisions unacceptable. A complete list of legislators
-> can be found at http://www.house.gov/ and http://www.senate.gov/.
-> In addition, you can try looking up your Senator with the Zipper, a
-> service which lets you look up your legislator by entering your
->zipcode.
-> http://www.stardot.com/zipper/
->
-> Sample communique:
->
-> <ring ring>
->
-> RECEPTIONIST
-> Hello, this is Senator Dongle's office. May I help you?
->
-> YOU
-> Congress is about to vote on provisions of the telecommunications
-> reform bill which will cripple the Internet as a viable means of
-> free expression, education, and commerce. I am outraged that this
-> proposal has made it this far. Please do everything in your power
-> to remove these provisions from the bill.
->
-> RECEPTIONIST
-> Ok, thanks for calling!
->
->2. If anything interesting transpires during the call, send us email at
-> vtw@vtw.org so we can investigate.
->
-> $ Mail vtw@vtw.org
-> Subject: called Senator Dongle
->
-> I called Senator Dongle, and his staff says that they weren't
-> aware that anyone had a problem with the Internet censorship
-> language. Perhaps you should pay them a visit.
->
-> ^D
-> Mail sent!
->
->3. Sit back and watch the court challenge. We hoped it wouldn't have to
->come
-> to this.
->
->________________________________________________________________________
->CHRONOLOGY OF THE COMMUNICATIONS DECENCY ACT
->
->Jan 31, '96 The House and Senate prepare to signoff on the conference
-> report for the Telecomm bill and rush a vote to the floor.
->Dec 7, '95 The House half of the Telecomm conference committee
-> votes the "indecency" standard for online speech into
-> the Telecomm Deregulation bill.
->Sep 26, '95 Sen. Russ Feingold urges committee members to drop
-> Managers Amendment and the CDA from the Telecommunications
-> Deregulation bill
->Aug 4, '95 House passes HR1555 which goes into conference with S652.
->Aug 4, '95 House votes to attach Managers Amendment (which contains
-> new criminal penalties for speech online) to
-> Telecommunications Reform bill (HR1555).
->Aug 4, '95 House votes 421-4 to attach HR1978 to Telecommunications
-> Reform bill (HR1555).
->Jun 30, '95 Cox and Wyden introduce the "Internet Freedom and Family
-> Empowerment Act" (HR 1978) as an alternative to the CDA.
->Jun 21, '95 Several prominent House members publicly announce their
-> opposition to the CDA, including Rep. Newt Gingrich
->(R-GA),
-> Rep. Chris Cox (R-CA), and Rep. Ron Wyden (D-OR).
->Jun 14, '95 The Senate passes the CDA as attached to the Telecomm
-> reform bill (S 652) by a vote of 84-16. The Leahy bill
-> (S 714) is not passed, but is supported by 16 Senators
-> who understand the Internet.
->May 24, '95 The House Telecomm Reform bill (HR 1555) leaves committee
-> in the House with the Leahy alternative attached to it,
-> thanks to Rep. Ron Klink of (D-PA). The Communications
-> Decency Act is not attached to it.
->Apr 7, '95 Sen. Leahy (D-VT) introduces S.714, an alternative to
-> the Exon/Gorton bill, which commissions the Dept. of
-> Justice to study the problem to see if additional
->legislation
-> (such as the CDA) is necessary.
->Mar 23, '95 S314 amended and attached to the telecommunications reform
-> bill by Sen. Gorton (R-WA). Language provides some
->provider
-> protection, but continues to infringe upon email privacy
-> and free speech.
->Feb 21, '95 HR1004 referred to the House Commerce and Judiciary
->committees
->Feb 21, '95 HR1004 introduced by Rep. Johnson (D-SD)
->Feb 1, '95 S314 referred to the Senate Commerce committee
->Feb 1, '95 S314 introduced by Sen. Exon (D-NE) and Gorton (R-WA).
->
->________________________________________________________________________
->FOR MORE INFORMATION
->
->Web Sites (roughly in alphabetical order)
-> URL:http://www.vtw.org/
-> URL:http://www.cdt.org/cda.html
-> URL:http://www.cpsr.org/
-> URL:http://www.eff.org/pub/Alerts/
-> URL:http://epic.org/
->
->Email:
-> files@vtw.org (put "ipcfaq" in the subject line for the Internet
-> Parental Control FAQ or "cdafaq" for the CDA FAQ)
-> cda-info@cdt.org (General CDA information)
-> cda-stat@cdt.org (Current status of the CDA)
->
->________________________________________________________________________
->LIST OF PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS
->
->In order to use the net more effectively, several organizations have
->joined forces on a single Congressional net campaign to stop the
->Communications Decency Act.
->
->
->* American Communication Association * American Council for the Arts *
->Arts & Technology Society * biancaTroll productions * Boston Coalition
->for Freedom of Expression * Californians Against Censorship Together *
->Center For Democracy And Technology * Centre for Democratic
->Communications * Center for Public Representation * Citizen's Voice -
->New Zealand * Cloud 9 Internet *Computer Communicators Association *
->Computel Network Services * Computer Professionals for Social
->Responsibility * Cross Connection * Cyber-Rights Campaign * CyberQueer
->Lounge * Dorsai Embassy * Dutch Digital Citizens' Movement * ECHO
->Communications Group, Inc. * Electronic Frontier Canada * Electronic
->Frontier Foundation * Electronic Frontier Foundation - Austin *
->Electronic Frontiers Australia * Electronic Frontiers Houston *
->Electronic Frontiers New Hampshire * Electronic Privacy Information
->Center * Feminists For Free Expression * First Amendment Teach-In *
->Florida Coalition Against Censorship * FranceCom, Inc. Web Advertising
->Services * Friendly Anti-Censorship Taskforce for Students * Hands
->Off! The Net * HotWired * Inland Book Company * Inner Circle
->Technologies, Inc. * Inst. for Global Communications * Internet
->On-Ramp, Inc. * Internet Users Consortium * Joint Artists' and Music
->Promotions Political Action Committee * The Libertarian Party *
->Marijuana Policy Project * Metropolitan Data Networks Ltd. * Michigan
->Electronic Communities of Concerned Adults * MindVox * MN Grassroots
->Party * National Bicycle Greenway * National Campaign for Freedom of
->Expression * National Coalition Against Censorship * National Gay and
->Lesbian Task Force * National Public Telecomputing Network * National
->Writers Union * Oregon Coast RISC * Panix Public Access Internet *
->People for the American Way * Republican Liberty Caucus * Rock Out
->Censorship * Society for Electronic Access * The Thing International
->BBS Network * The WELL * Web Review Magazine * Wired Magazine * Voters
->Telecommunications Watch
->
->(Note: All 'Electronic Frontier' organizations are independent entities,
-> not EFF chapters or divisions.)
->
->________________________________________________________________________
-> End Alert
->========================================================================
->
->-----------------------------------------------------------------------
->(3) SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
->
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->civil
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->(3) ABOUT THE CENTER FOR DEMOCRACY AND TECHNOLOGY/CONTACTING US
->
->The Center for Democracy and Technology is a non-profit public interest
->organization based in Washington, DC. The Center's mission is to develop
->and advocate public policies that advance democratic values and
->constitutional civil liberties in new computer and communications
->technologies.
->
->Contacting us:
->
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->FTP URL:ftp://ftp.cdt.org/pub/cdt/
->
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-> 1001 G Street NW * Suite 500 East * Washington, DC 20001
-> (v) +1.202.637.9800 * (f) +1.202.637.0968
->
->-----------------------------------------------------------------------
->End Policy Post 2.4 2/1/96
->-----------------------------------------------------------------------
->
->
->
->
->Michael Tidmus : WWW: http://www.anomtec.com/
->Partner : eMail: mtidmus@smtp.anomtec.com
->Anomalous Research Technologies : Telephone: 213.665.9456
->2117 Avon Street : Pager: 213.353.5628
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->+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
->
<< end of forwarded material >>
--There are no incurable ills | There are no believable Gods There are no unkillable thrills | There are no unreachable goals There are no unbeatable odds | There are no unsaveable souls . . Osbourne e-mail tbyars@earthink.net | http://home.earthlink.net/~tbyars ---------------------------------------------------------------------