IP: re:: The rule of the mob

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

> Date: Tue, 4 May 1999 14:39:45 -0400
> To: farber () cis upenn edu
> From: "Richard J. Solomon" <rsolomon () dsl cis upenn edu>
>
>
> Perhaps our IP readers should reflect on what grounds U.S. governments have
> rights to regulate anything. The Internet is not like radio and television
> broadcasting which use scarce electromagnetic spectrum, nor does it use
> public rights of way directly. As content, it is very difficult to justify
> Net regulations under "public convenience and necessity" right-of-way
> precepts; & the First Amendment lays down some fundamental principles which
> the Courts take very seriously about government interference in
> communications per se -- currently being further defined via the CDA
> litigation. So, no matter what the polls say today, any regulation of
> content on the Net will move very slowly if at all. That's why we have a
> constitution in the first place. \
>
> Richard
>
>
> At 4:43 AM -0400 5/4/99, Dave Farber wrote:
> > > Date: Mon, 03 May 1999 23:20:32 -0400
> > > From: David Rosensweig <dlrosens () sas upenn edu>
> > > Organization: University of Pennsylvania
> > > X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.5 [en] (WinNT; U)
> > > X-Accept-Language: en
> > > To: farber () cis upenn edu
> > > Subject: regulating internet content
> > >
> > > here are some discouraging numbers:
> > >
> > > According to the latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, 65  percent say the
> > > federal government should do more to regulate violence on the Internet;
> > > 12 percent say the government should do less to regulate violence on the
> > > Internet and 17 percent say that the government is doing the right
> > > amount to regulate violence on the Internet.
> > >
> > > http://cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/05/03/media.poll/
> > >
> > > unfortunately, not enough people realize the following, from a recent IP
> > > email:
> > >
> > > > The point to remember is that basic constitutional principles do not
> > > >    arise and disappear as each new technology comes on the scene. We
> > > > have  come to this conclusion rather slowly.
> > >
> > > the following is quote is from a friend:
> > >
> > > " Otherwise, Government becomes based on the whims of the majority, the
> > > same
> > > way that the tv entertainment industry relies upon ratings to determine
> > > the
> > > course of the tv show.  Would you want a government based on ratings?"
> > >
> > > and lastly, an NPR story on a student being expelled from school for
> > > expressing his displeasure with people who've beat him up.  what kid
> > > wouldn't be displeased?
> > >  http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/atc/19990503.atc.04.ram
> > >
> > > david