RE: Net Control is Thought Control

[Pete Loshin <pete@loshin.com>]

Duncan Frissell wrote:

>On CSPAN Friday morning a gentlemen who is, I take it, a lobbyist for TPC or
>the Competitive Long Distance Coalition (TPCs) said that the Internet could
>be regulated just like magazines, tv, or anything else.  I have long doubted
>statements like this particularly since they come from people without
>apparent experience on the Net.
>
>[many other interesting comments deleted]

Magazines and TV (and books, newspapers, movies etc.) are _NOT_
regulated, at least not as to content.  These media are all
pretty much self-regulated.  The judgement of whether to print
the f-word in a newspaper is made by the editors and/or the
publishers--not the government.  The same goes for how much flesh
gets displayed on a television show, or in a movie, or on the 
cover of a magazine.

It is true that the TV and movie industry have subjected
themselves to self-censorship and "guidelines" to avoid having
the government step in and do it for them, however.  It may be
that this individual was speaking in favor of having the Internet
community police itself--which may mean he's in favor of an
updated Hayes board of censors (the folks who felt that, during
the 40's it was obscene to indicate that ANYONE, particularly
married people, slept in the same bed together, with the result
that bedroom scenes always had the couple sleeping in their own
individual single beds).

-Pete Loshin
 pete@loshin.com