IP: Re: Tell me it is not true!! what next will be banned Tele

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

From: "Craig A. Johnson" <caj () tdrs com>
To: Dave Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>
Date:          Thu, 1 Feb 1996 21:53:30 +0000


On  1 Feb 96 at 18:43, Dave Farber wrote:


> Thursday Febuary 1 3:07 PM EST
>
> Telecom Bill Prohibits Abortion Information On Internet
>
> NEW YORK - (Reuters) The New York Daily News reports the
> telecommunications bill, up before the House today, also includes a
> provision that would ban the exchange of information about abortion
> over the Internet.
>
> The paper says the measure inserted by Republican Congressman Henry
> Hyde of Illinois would classify that information as obscenity,
> making it illegal to send or receive it on the computer network.


This report is not entirely accurate.  Hyde assured Schroeder that 
nothing in the bill would prohibit the constitutionally-protected 
discussion of abortion online.


But, the measure, as printed in the report seems to flat-footedly
contradict this.  Paragraph 1462 of section 1465 of title 18, as
amended by the bill, does actually state:  


"Whoever brings into the United States, or any place subject to the 
jurisdication thereof, or knowingly uses any express company or other 
common carrier, or interactive computer service, as defined in 
section 230(e)2 of the Communications Act of 1934, for carriage in 
interstate or foreign commerce--
...