I spoke with Rep. Lofgren for a while today while I was writing this piece. I believe she's genuinely well-intentioned, but doesn't understand the issues. Visit HotWired's web site for the full report. -Declan --- http://www.hotwired.com/netizen/96/24/index2a.html The Hydra HotWired Special Report by Brock N. Meeks and Declan McCullagh Washington, DC, 11 June A bill that would attempt to "fix" the potential harm of the Communications Decency Act was dropped into the legislative boneyard late yesterday by freshman Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-California). The bill, dubbed the "Internet Freedom and Child Protection Act," provides neither. [...] Then there are her loopy additions. All Internet service providers, under government mandate, will become vendors of "blocking software" such as SurfWatch or Cyber Patrol. Lofgren's bill says that all new ISP customers must be provided, either free or at a fee, "screening software that is designed to permit the customer to limit access to material that is unsuitable for children." Of course, nowhere does she define what "unsuitable" means. However, such vagueness didn't stop Lofgren from proposing that the Federal Communications Commission move into the business of setting commercial software standards. Under this bill, the FCC is required to "prescribe minimum technical standards for screening software." [...] How does the FCC feel about a new proposed role as "software commissioner?" Frankly, they'd rather not be involved, according to Mark Corbitt, technology policy advisor to Chairman Reed Hundt.