roundtable: TELECOM POST #5
roundtable: TELECOM POST #5
TELECOM POST #5
CWHITCOM@bentley.edu
Wed, 14 Jun 1995 07:37:47 -0400 (EDT)
Date: Wed, 14 Jun 1995 07:37:47 -0400 (EDT)
From: CWHITCOM@bentley.edu
Subject: TELECOM POST #5
To: roundtable@cni.org
Message-Id: <01HROSJC4VCY0035H7@bentley.edu>
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Free Speech Media, LLC
June 14, 1995
Number 5
5 pages
====================================================
Compiled, written, and edited by Coralee Whitcomb
Please address all questions and comments to cwhitcom@bentley.edu
===================================================
The following report is posted to various discussion lists and is
also available from the CPSR listserv. To subscribe, send to
LISTSERV@CPSR.ORG with the message SUBSCRIBE TELECOM-POST YOUR
NAME.
The Telecom Post will be published weekly while the U.S.
Congress works on the first comprehensive rewrite of legislation
regarding telecommunications since the Communication Act of
1934.
TOPICS
1. S. 652 is on the floor
2. Office of Technology Assessment - budget=0
3. Regulatory Reform - Senate bill coming up
4. Government Information - big cuts
**For those of you who requested the Progress and Freedom
Foundation's "FCC Replacement Plan", I now have the full
version. It is quite lengthy and comes in 5 files. If you
would like a copy, please write me at cwhitcom@bentley.edu.
S.652 - ON THE FLOOR NOW
Exon Amendment, Title IV - Act now on net censorship
Today is the day to act if you are concerned with the Exon
Amendment, otherwise known as the Communications Decency Act.
Though this amendment seemed to fade in the light of much harsh
publicity over its censorship implications and infringement of
the first amendment, it has picked up new momentum in recent
days, including coverage by Entertainment Tonight. Senator
Exon, (R-NE) has beefed up the amendment. According to Craig
Johnson of Transnational Data Reporting Service, Inc., there is
a new section that ensures that "whoever, knowingly, by means of
a telecommunications device, 'makes, creates, or solicits' and
'initiates the transmission of or purposefully makes available'
an 'obscene' communication could be prosecuted." Several of the
defenses available to the providers of conduits have been
narrowed, leaving it to the FCC determine the boundaries within
which they operate.
The Leahy bill, S714, has been proposed as a substitute measure
and attacks the problem of "difficult" material in an
appropriate fashion. It asks that the Departments of Justice
and Commerce undertake a six month study of technological means
for filtering material available on the net. Even Entertainment
Tonight interviewed Tony Rutkowski of the Internet Society on
the availability of these filters, though they did not mention
the Leahy alternative.
The thing to do today is to call or fax your Senator. A full
list of the Senators and their contact information will follow
in the Telecom Post Action Items. Other information is
available from
WWW: http://www.panix.com/vtw/exon
http://www.cdt.org/
http://epic.org/free_speech
Gopher: gopher -p 1/vtw/exon
gopher.panix.com
gopher.eff.org
Email: vtw@vtw.org (send help in the subject line)
The role of the Department of Justice - tabled
A role for the DOJ has been blocked for the time being. The
Modified Final Judgment (MFJ) prevents local telcos from
entering manufacturing and interstate long distance service. The
DOJ wants to be given a role in the determination of the
appropriate level of existing competition in the long distance
markets before allowing RBOC entry into those markets. The
current legislation leaves the DOJ out, using a 14 point
checklist under the watch of the FCC. The long distance
industry wants the DOJ layer of approval built into the bill.
Obviously, the RBOCs don't. The Clinton Administration favors
including the DOJ as do several state attorney generals. Senator
Thurmond's (R-SC) amendment to provide for review by the US
Attorney General of entry of the RBOCs into these markets was
tabled by a vote of 57 to 43 though he vows to bring it back
before the process is over.
Universal Service Provisions - passed
The Snowe-Rockefeller amendment which provides for "incremental
cost-based" access to schools, libraries, and hospitals has been
approved but with a change in language to "affordable costs" and
"reasonable rates". What "affordable" means is clearly a
concern, though many claim that we should be happy that the
amendment passed at all.
Interoperability - passed
Senators Dole (R-KS), Hollings(D-SC), and Daschle (D-SD) managed
to successfully shepherd a new amendment calling for the
promotion of "nondiscriminatory access to telecommunications
networks by the broadest number of users and vendors" through
"coordinated telecommunications network planning and design by
common carriers and other providers..." Interconnection is
ensured in order to provide users and information providers
seamless and transparent transmission and reception of
information between and across telecommunications networks.
This is a new section in the bill titled, "Coordination for
Telecommunications Network Interoperabililty".
Disabilities - oops, already there
My apologies for reporting that there were no disability
provisions in the bill. Section 262 provides for closed
captioning when "readily achievable" and video description
(audio description of nonverbal activity) is to undergo a
feasibility study by the FCC before requiring its provision.
To pass or not to pass
A cloture motion may be voted on today that would limit further
debate on the bill to 30 hours. There is every reason to expect
that it will come to a vote before Friday. Many feel that it
should be defeated, plain and simple. Others protest that left
to our current devices, we will not like the state we are in a
year from now. That orderly de-regulation must begin as soon as
possible. It's hard to know - but however you feel - now is the
time to act. The full list of Senators and their contact
information will be in the followup Telecom Post Action Items.
OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
The OTA has been in charge of researching and reporting on
technology issues in order to inform Congress on difficult
issues requiring a vote. Last week the House Appropriations
subcommittee zeroed out its budget. Floor amendments will
likely be proposed to restore the funding. The Rules Committee,
headed by Rep. Gerald Solomon will be meeting Friday to consider
which amendments will be allowed on the floor. If you feel the
OTA should be saved do 2 things. 1 - call or fax Rep. Solomon
by Friday and ask him to accept floor amendments for retaining
OTA. Phone - 202-225-5614, FAX - 202-225-6234 and 2 - call your
representative and ask them to vote for the amendment when it
comes to the floor.
REGULATION REFORM - S.343
Senator Dole and Senator Bennett Johnston (D-LA) have
co-sponsored a bill that would impose cost-benefit analysis and
judicial review on the development of new regulations. The
final version of the bill is still under revision but due to
come to the floor of the Senate the week of June 19. Action
against this bill and its House counterpart, HR 994, Regulatory
Sunset and Review Act of 1995, is being led by the Citizens for
Sensible Safeguards. They can be contacted at regs@rtk.net,
202-234-8494.
PUBLIC INFORMATION REDUCED
The House Subcommittee of Legislative Branch Appropriations
approved a major policy change reducing the availability of
government information to the public. The Subcommittee halved
the Depository Library Program - from $32M to $16M. This
program distributes federal publications to 1400 Congressionally
designated libraries throughout the country. The Government
Printing Office picks up the cost of printing and distribution.
Now agencies providing the information would be required to
reimburse the GPO for this expense making it highly unlikely
that the current level of distribution would take place. The
Congressional Record will be made available only electronically.
The full Appropriations Committee is scheduled to meet on
Thursday, June 15 and the bill may come to the floor on June 20.
The American Library Association urges everyone to contact your
Representative and ask for the protection of no fee, equitable
public access to government information. A list of the
Appropriations Committee members will be in the following
Telecom Post Action Items
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