ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, February 8, 1996 TAG: 9602090018
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-16 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
SOURCE: BOB DART COX NEWS SERVICE
WHEN PRESIDENT CLINTON signs the telecommunications bill into law today, free speech on the Internet will take a direct hit, some say.
As President Clinton prepares to sign a sweeping telecommunications bill into law today, civil libertarians and cyberspace militants are fighting a provision to bar ``indecent'' material from the Internet.
On Wednesday, the American Civil Liberties Union said it would go to court to block the ban on ``cyber-smut,'' and advocacy groups for computer users staged an on-line protest against the Communications Decency Act, part of the telecommunications reforms.
``Nothing less than the future of free expression in the United States is at stake here,'' said Ira Glasser, ACLU executive director. ``By passing this legislation, Congress has misunderstood a promising new medium and has, once again, turned its back on the First Amendment.''
The telecommunications act would impose a fine of up to $250,000 and a prison term of up to two years for anyone convicted of disseminating indecent information on the Internet or on-line services where it could be accessed by minors.
Such restrictions for TV and radio broadcasts have been declared constitutional by the courts.
Supporters of the ban, who argue that it is needed to keep such material away from children who use computers, liken it to federal prohibitions on dial-a-porn telephone services.
The new law will ``protect our kids while withstanding constitutional muster,'' said Sen. Dan Coates, R-Ind., who wrote the bill along with Sen. James Exon, D-Neb.
However, opponents charge that the new Internet regulations amount to unconstitutional censorship that would criminalize expression protected by the First Amendment. They said it also violates privacy rights by outlawing some expression within private e-mail correspondence between individuals.
Users of the Internet - which provides global communications through connected computers - ``are very concerned this will chill speech,'' said Jerry Berman, head of the Center for Democracy and Technology, an advocacy group for computer users.
Another advocacy group, Voters Telecommunications Watch, has organized an on-line show of solidarity by switching the background color of their Internet home pages to black.
Meanwhile, Glasser said the ACLU would seek a temporary restraining order against the ``indecency'' provisions immediately after Clinton signs the telecommunications bill today.
The group said it was acting quickly because it feared that the new law would have an immediate effect on the Internet. In addition to the ACLU, the plaintiffs in the lawsuit include the Electronic Privacy Information Center, Human Rights Watch, Institute for Global Communications, National Writers Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines Type first letter of feature OR type help for list of commands FIND S-DB DB OPT SS WRD QUIT QUIT Save options? YES NO GROUP YOU'VE SELECTED: QUIT NO login: cby CNB