2/15/96
Congress has recently passed the telecommunications bill, which contains measures prohibiting "indecent" material, such as this, from being communicated over the Internet. It is currently being challenged in court by hordes of freedom fighters and civil libertarians.
If this law stands, it will have a chilling effect on the U.S. economy and the 1st Amentment, but not on the freedom of speech itself. Some may argue that a congress and a government can stifle the freedom of speech. I disagree. If people like Madonna and myself want to get our information out, it will happen, but at a greater cost to our convenience, our wallets, and other people.
Allow me to explain a couple of possible scenarios. Suppose the censorship bill does stand, and moral advocacy groups get their way. They will most likely confiscate any computers on which this information is kept and made available to the public. But since many people are likely to download the contents of this page to their personal computer due to its high level of quality and excellence, the information will not be destroyed, nor its message silenced.
Suppose also, for argument's sake, that I am fined and imprisoned, as the law permits, for my expression. One of my loyal, anonymous fans will be likely to upload the content of the page to a foriegn server if I have not already done so for safety's sake. (hint, hint) This foriegn server will then distribute this information once again, and this time many more people will download it immediately for fear that the US government will try to bully whoever carries it.
If the government succeeds in shutting down the foriegn server, either by convincing the government of the country in which it is placed to remove it, or by going directly after the owner of the server using threats of harrasment, torture, or death, the information will still already be in the hands of millions of users all over the world.
If the government attempts to go after the millions of users harboring this "indecent or inappropriate for minors" material, they will overextend their resources and be unable to avoid becoming crippled from the center, just as a man trying to fight ten others will inevitably leave a weak spot open to one of them. So as you can see, the freedom of information is far from lost.
However, as I said before, this will have a very negative effect on the United States economy. Internet providers will be forced to choose between raising their prices to fight legal battles, succumbing to government oppression, or moving overseas to avoid the entire quagmire.
If they choose option 1, raising the prices, they will lose subscribers because not as many people will be able to afford this precious service. This will compound their problems, as even less money will be flowing in, and many will be forced to go into another line of work.
If they choose option 2, as many smart-minded businessmen are likely to do, they too will lose subscribers. There are too many people who were born and raised in this country who value their freedoms, and they will not tolerate Internet providers who censor their ability to learn, even if it is not truly the provider's fault.
If they decide to move overseas, as many will also do, the effect will be the same: they will lose a significant portion of their customer base. Most people can not or do not want to pay large long-distance phone bills. And the big long-distance phone monopolies, who no doubt had a behind-the-scenes hand in making this legislation pass, are fooling themselves if they think they can increase their revenues by forcing everyone to dial long-distance in order to be on the Internet. PEOPLE ARE SMART. THEY WILL FIND A WAY AROUND IT. THIS HAS BEEN PROVEN COUNTLESS TIMES THROUGHOUT THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD.
I believe I have made all my points clearly and effectively. If you would like more up-to-date, detailed information on this matter, visit the Electronic Foundier Foundation. There are good, honest people there who are working to further the freedom of speech. I'm sure they will be glad to answer any questions and help with problems. Thank you all for your support, no matter what form it takes.