Effects of S.314 (Communications Decency Act)

[Timothy C. May]

Samuel Kaplin wrote:

> In article <Pine.3.89.9502081135.A7848-0100000 at netcom10>, you wrote:
> > On Tue, 7 Feb 1995, Samuel Kaplin wrote:
> > > I find it amazing that CPR and EFF
> > > haven't picked this up yet.
> >
> > Really?
> 
> I had at least hoped that they would have their ear to the ground.
> Unfortunately I was wrong. ;(

It's a tough thing for them to be involved enough to know what's going
on, but not so involved as to be a partner in the process.

We mostly all criticized them roundly for the Digital Telephony Bill
(I did too). They seem to have somewhat backed off from this approach,
or so it now appears to many of us. (Caveat:  before this is read by
EFF folks and indignantly denied, I make no claims of what the causal
chain was, what Berman's departure has to do with this, etc. Hence the
"they seem to have" phrasing.)

Anyway, how can we expect them to know about upcoming legislation if
we also despise the "inside the Beltway" mentality?

Frankly, I'd rather have them on our side, helping to fight bad
legislation, than working on the inside of things and thus face
compromise by the whole process.

As scary as S.314 is, I'm not sure it's likely to pass. Unlike the
Digital Telephony Bill, which was on greased skids, this  one seems to
have come out of left field. I could be wrong on this, and maybe it's
got a lot of sponsors, but it sounds like just another Bill that will
die in committee or fail on the floor.

(This is where the D.C.-net people, those who are connected to the
political process, can tell us who's likely to support it and who's
not.)

--Tim May


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