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If the Senate doesn’t protect our children, who will?
Y’all might remember Senator Ted Stevens. He’s the guy who, last year, famously referred to the internets as a bunch of tubes. Well he’s back now, with a new bill which would require all schools and libraries that get federal internet subsidies to ban access to vaguely defined “interactive” web sites. This would include social networking sites like MySpace and, because of the vague language, could also include blogs that accept comments and even sites like Wikipedia.
Computerworld’s Preston Gralla pretty much sums up my exact thoughts on this matter:
There are so many things wrong with this bill, it’s hard to count them all. But its greatest irony would be banning Wikipedia - perhaps the most widely used reference resource in the world - from libraries and schools. I have plenty of problems with Wikipedia, including how easily it can be manipulated, and the way students rely on it far too heavily. But ban an educational resource merely because it’s interactive? If true, it’s bizarre beyond comprehension.
Senator Stevens is an idiot. But his colleague, Senator Sam Brownback, is trying to give him a run for his money by introducing the Truth in Video Game Ratings Act. A rehash of a bill which died last year, this legislation would put the Federal Trade Commission in charge of overseeing the ESRB video game rating system. Of course, it blindly ignores several steps the video game industry has taken over the past couple of years to improve their rating system, which have been met with approval by groups like the Institute on Media and the Family.
Why do these Republican Senators forget that one of the cornerstones of the Republican party is smaller government? Why do these people who constantly call out “family values” consistently refuse to acknowledge the role of parental oversight, instead taking a “we can do it better” approach? These aren’t rhetorical questions - I seriously would like to understand the skewed take on things.
Comments
Can the FTC regulate it? Soley on the fact that its trade beyond state lines? I'm just wondering the legal basis for regulation in the first place. For network TV and the FCC it's because the airwaves are a public resource, but what about the FTC and video games?
Posted by Eric | February 17, 2007 4:10 PM