****Begin File*************Begin File**************Begin File**** ***************************************************************** ISSN 1069-7799 ALAWON ALA Washington Office Newsline An electronic publication of the American Library Association Washington Office Volume 4, Number 97 November 16, 1995 In this issue: (139 lines) ALERT: "COX-WYDEN" MOVING FORWARD IN CONFERENCE COMMITTEE; IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED ON CYBERCENSORSHIP ISSUES IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE COMMITTEE ***************************************************************** ALERT: "COX-WYDEN" MOVING FORWARD IN CONFERENCE COMMITTEE; IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED ON CYBERCENSORSHIP ISSUES IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE COMMITTEE As previously reported, telecommunications reform legislation now before a House/Senate Conference Committee is being actively negotiated at this writing by Congressional staff. Both telecommunications bills on the table include provisions directed at protecting children from obscene and indecent material on the Internet. Despite the shutdown of the executive branch of the federal government, Congress still considers its own employees essential. Conference work at the staff level is moving forward so immediate action is needed. In the House bill, the so-called "Cox/Wyden" amendment, being championed in conference by Rep. Rick White (R-WA), takes the "carrot" approach by insulating interactive computer service providers from legal liability for good faith efforts to restrict minors' access to proscribed material. Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde (R-IL), however, also included an amendment in the House legislation which would impose substantial criminal liability on anyone who "knowingly" sends or receives obscene or indecent material "by computer." The Senate language, authored and insisted upon in conference by Sen James Exon (D-NE), also takes the "stick" approach in amending the criminal law to penalize anyone who knowingly "makes or makes available" obscene or indecent material. NOTE: LIBRARIES AND NONPROFIT EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS ARE NEITHER EXPRESSLY GIVEN THE BENEFIT OF COX/WYDEN'S INSULATION FROM LIABILITY, NOR EXEMPTED FROM THE CRIMINAL SANCTIONS IMPOSED BY HYDE OR EXON. Consequently ALA is working with a coalition of public interest and industry groups to get the following message to all members of the House and Senate Conference Committee and their staffs: 1. NO new Federal intervention to govern Internet content is needed at this time; current Federal and state statutes are adequate. 2. IF Congress feels that it must act to impose such new controls, however, take the Cox/Wyden "carrot, rather than the Exon/Hyde "stick, approach BUT MODIFY COX/WYDEN to assure that it also explicitly protects libraries and nonprofit educational institutions. IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED: The time to get these messages across the conferees is now. If you know, or are a constituent of, any of the members of Congress whose names appear below, please contact them or their staff members immediately by phone or fax. Should you have a particularly close connection to any of these offices, please also contact the ALA Washington Office's legislative counsel, Adam M. Eisgrau as soon as possible. He may be reached at 202-628-8410, ext. 208. Congressional staff are meeting at this writing so immediate response is needed. TELECOMMUNICATIONS BILL CONFEREES HOUSE: Republicans Democrats Mr. Tom Bliley (VA) Mr. John Dingell (MI) Mr. Jack Fields (TX) Mr. Ed Markey (MA) Mr. Mike Oxley (OH) Mr. Rick Boucher (VA) Mr. Rick White (WA)* Ms. Anna Eshoo (CA) Mr. Dan Schaefer (CO) Mr. Sherrod Brown (OH) Mr. Joe Barton (TX) Mr. Bart Gordon (TN) Mr. Dennis Hastert (IL) Mrs. Blanche Lincoln (AR) Mr. Bill Paxon (NY) Mr. John Conyers (MI) Mr. Scott Klug (WI) Mrs. Pat Schroeder (CO) Mr. Dan Frisa (NY) Mr. Howard Berman (CA) Mr. Cliff Stearns (FL) Mr. John Bryant (TX) Mr. Henry Hyde (IL)* Ms. Sheila Jackson-Lee (TX) Mr. Carlos Moorhead (CA) Mr. Robert Goodlatte (VA) Mr. Steve Buyer (IN) Mr. Michael Flanagan (IL) Mr. Elton Gallegly (CA) Mr. Bob Barr (GA) Mr. Martin Hoke (OH) SENATE: Mr. Larry Pressler (SD) Mr. Fritz Hollings (SC) Mr. Ted Stevens (AK) Mr. Daniel Inouye (HI) Mr. John McCain (AZ) Mr. Wendell Ford (KY) Mr. Conrad Burns (MT) Mr. James Exon (NE) Mr. Slade Gorton (WA) Mr. Jay Rockefeller (WV) Mr. Trent Lott (MS) ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** ALAWON (ISSN 1069-7799) is an irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office, 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20004. Internet: alawash@alawash.org; Phone: 202-628-8410; Fax: 202-628-8419. Contributing to this issue: Adam M. Eisgrau and Claudette W. Tennant; Editor: Lynne E. Bradley (leb@alawash.org). ALAWON is available free of charge and is available only in electronic form. To subscribe, send the message "subscribe ala- wo [your name]" to listserv@uicvm (Bitnet) or listserv@uicvm.uic.edu (Internet). Back issues and other documents are available from the listserv the list server. To find out what's available, send the message "send ala-wo filelist" to the listserv. The ALA-WO filelist contains the list of files with the exact filename and filetype. To get a particular file, issue the command "send filename filetype" to the listserv. Do not include the quotes in your commands. All materials in the newsletter subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. For other reprinting or redistribution, address requests to the ALA Washington Office (alawash@alawash.org). ****End File****************End File****************End File**** *****************************************************************