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This posting is maintained for historical purposes only. |
H.R. 1978 introduced 6/30/95
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Mr. Cox (for himself and Mr. Wyden) Introduced the following bill.
A BILL
To encourage and protect private sector initiatives that improve user control over computer information services.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE
This Act may be cited as the "Internet Freedom and Family Empowerment Act".
SEC. 2. ONLINE FAMILY EMPOWERMNET
Title II of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
"SEC. 230. PROTECTION FOR PRIVATE BLOCKING AND SCREENING OF OFFENSIVE MATERIAL; FCC CONTENT AND ECONOMIC REGULATION OF COMPUTER SERVICES PROHIBITED.
"(a) FINDINGS. -- The Congress finds the following:
"(1) The rapidly developing array of Internet and other interactive computer service available to individual Americans represent an extraordinary advance in the availability of educational and informational resources to our citizens.
"(2) These services offer users a great degree of control over the information that they receive, as well as the potential for even greater control in the future as technology develops.
"(3) The Internet and other interactive computer services offer a forum for a true diversity of political discourse, unique opportunities for cultural development, and myriad avenues for intellectual activity.
"(4) The Internet and other interactive computer services have flourished, to the benefit of all Americans, with a minimum of government regulation.
"(5) Increasingly Americans are relying on interactive media for a variety of political, educational, cultural and entertainment services.
"(b) POLICY.-- It is the policy of the United States to--
"(1) promote the continued development of the Internet and other interactive computer services and other interactive media;
"(2) preserve the vibrant and competitive free market that presently exists for the Internet and other interactive computer services, unfettered by Sate or Federal regulation;
"(3) encourage the development of technologies which maximize user control over the information received by individuals, families, and schools who use the Internet and other interactive computer services;
"(4) remove disincentives for the development and utilization of blocking and filtering technologies that empower parents to restrict their children's access to objectionable or inappropriate online material; and
"(5) ensure vigorous enforcement of criminal laws to deter and punish trafficking in obscenity, stalking, and harassment by means of computer.
"(c) PROTECTION FOR 'GOOD SAMARITAN' BLOCKING AND SCREENING OF OFFENSIVE MATERIAL.-- No provider or user of interactive computer services shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by an information content provider. No provider or user or interactive computer services shall be held liable on account of --
"(1) any action voluntarily taken in good faith to restrict access to material that the provider or user considers to be obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, excessively violent, harassing, or otherwise objectionable, whether or not such material is constitutionally protected; or
"(2) any action to make available to information content providers or others the technical means to restrict access to material described in paragraph (1).
"(d) FCC REGULATION OF THE INTERNET AND OTHER INTERACTIVE COMPUTER SERVICES PROHIBITED.-- Nothing in this Act shall be construed to grant any jurisdiction or authority to the Commission with respect to content or other regulation of the Internet or other interactive computer services.
"(e) EFFECT ON OTHER LAWS.--
"(1) NO EFFECT ON CRIMINAL LAW.-- Nothing in this section shall be construed to impair the enforcement of section 223 of this Act, chapter 71 (relating to obscenity) or 110 (relating to sexual exploitation of children) of title 18, United States Code, or any other Federal criminal statute.
"(2) NO EFFECT ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW.-- Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit or expand any law pertaining to intellectual property.
"(3) IN GENERAL.-- Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent any State from enforcing any State law that is consistent with this section.
"(f) DEFINITIONS.-- As used in this section:
"(1) INTERNET.-- The term 'Internet' means the international computer network of both Federal and non-Federal interoperable packet switched data networks.
"(2) INTERACTIVE COMPUTER SERVICE.-- The term 'interactive computer service' means any information service that provides computer access to multiple users via modem to a remote computer server, including specifically a service that provides access to the Internet.
"(3) INFORMATION CONTENT PROVIDER.-- The term 'information content provider means any person or entity that is responsible, in whole or in part, for the creation or development of information provided by the Internet or any other computer service, including any person or entity that creates or develops blocking or screening software or other techniques to permit user control over offensive material.
"(4) INFORMATION SERVICE.-- The term 'information service' means the offering of a capability for generating, acquiring, storing, transforming, processing, retrieving, utilizing, or making available information via telecommunications, and includes electronic publishing, but does not include any use of such capability for the management, control, or operation of a telecommunications system or the management of a telecommunications service."
Back to History Of A Child Safe Internet
‘I was, but I have reconsidered that. I’m going to be busier than ever: let us see which of us can be the busiest. I can’t forget, nor can you, but we can leave as little time as possible for remembering.’ "Ah, you have been down for Mamie," the Countess exclaimed. "She had one of her turns again. Give the poor child some of that soda-water and then follow me. Be quick." "Man," he said sternly, "that fiend of a woman was my dead wife's late companion." The soldiers lying round about me, and those in other parts of the station, got up, shouting, "There are the British," and ran towards the arriving trains. They jeered at the beaten enemies in all sorts of vulgar and filthy words, which made the German129 enthusiasm absolutely lacking in chivalry. Eight trains with captured British arrived during that night. “Jeff!” warned Sandy. The year 1747 was opened by measures of restriction. The House of Lords, offended at the publication of the proceedings of the trial of Lord Lovat, summoned the parties to their bar, committed them to prison, and refused to liberate them till they had pledged themselves not to repeat the offence, and had paid very heavy fees. The consequence of this was that the transactions of the Peers were almost entirely suppressed for nearly thirty years from this time, and we draw our knowledge of them chiefly from notes taken by Horace Walpole and Lord Chancellor Hardwicke. What is still more remarkable, the reports of the House of Commons, being taken by stealth, and on the merest sufferance, are of the most meagre kind, sometimes altogether wanting, and the speeches are given uniformly under fictitious names; for to have attributed to Pitt or Pelham their[112] speeches by name would have brought down on the printers the summary vengeance of the House. Many of the members complained bitterly of this breach of the privileges of Parliament, and of "being put into print by low fellows"; but Pelham had the sense to tolerate them, saying, "Let them alone; they make better speeches for us than we can make for ourselves." Altogether, the House of Commons exhibited the most deplorable aspect that can be conceived. The Ministry had pursued Walpole's system of buying up opponents by place, or pension, or secret service money, till there was no life left in the House. Ministers passed their measures without troubling themselves to say much in their behalf; and the opposition dwindled to Sir John Hinde Cotton, now dismissed from office, and a feeble remnant of Jacobites raised but miserable resistance. In vain the Prince of Wales and the secret instigations of Bolingbroke and Doddington stimulated the spirit of discontent; both Houses had degenerated into most silent and insignificant arenas of very commonplace business. SURPRISE OF FREDERICK AT HOCHKIRCH. (See p. 131.) "Henry Joslyn, sir." "You know those old gods and goddesses," put in Montmorency Scruggs, a pale, studious boy, for shortness called "Monty," and who had a great likeness for ancient history and expected to be a lawyer, "drunk what they called nectar. Maybe it was something like this." The office was dim now, at evening, but the figure behind the desk was rigid and unchanging, and the voice as singular as ever. "Do what you will," Dr. Haenlingen said. "I have always viewed love as the final aberration: it is the trap which lies in wait for the unwary sane. But no aberration is important, any more...." Her young face bowed to his neck, and suddenly his lips crept round and lay against the coolness of her cheek. She did not move, and he still walked on, the grass splashing under his feet, the rabbits scampering round him, showing their little cotton-tails in the dark. Margaret shuddered, as she looked in his eyes. We before observed that Stephen Holgrave's dwelling was situated at a short distance from the little Eastbourne; and, on the night of All-hallows fair, a quick knocking was heard at the door just after Holgrave had retired to rest. Holgrave, concluding it was some mandate from the castle, arose, and, in a surly voice, demanded who was there? "You are all now publicly warned; and it will behove you, at your peril, to look to that bondman!" and then, without deigning farther parley, he left the hall.