Q: (Channel 4000)
Would you support the establishment of a government regulatory agency to
patrol the Internet for such things as obscenity, libel, copyright
infringement and other abuses?
A: (Paul Wellstone)
We dont need a new government agency simply to regulate the Internet.
Long-standing U.S. copyright laws already apply to on-line
communications, just as to other communications media, including books, magazines, and
other sources. Likewise, libel laws also apply; specific cases are now being
tested in the courts. Having a government agency regulating the content
of millions of communications which take place on the Internet raises
serious First Amendment concerns about government censorship. Of course, there
are already on the books criminal laws which prohibit the distribution of
child pornography and other obscene materials, and the Department of Justice
vigorously enforces those laws, as they should. The Federal Trade
Commission has been recently cracking down on Internet fraud under existing consumer
protection statutes, and the Federal Communications Commission is
considering how to address Internet issues, without stunting the growth of on-line
services, or limiting potential technical innovations.