NODE fcd5cc38Fwd: cyberspace, congressional hearings
fen@genmagic.genmagic.com (Fen Labalme)Mon, 8 Mar 93 18:52:19 PST
> Date: Mon, 8 Mar 1993 17:51:38 -0800
> From: Bruce Smith <bruce@wri.com>
> Subject: cyberspace, congressional hearings
The following is quoted/paraphrased from a column by Brian Robinson on page 26
of the 1 March 93 Electronic Engineering Times. By passing it on I imply no
specific attitude of my own. I don't know the date of the hearings, but if
someone finds out if/when it will be viewable on C-Span, I'd like to know.
Feel free to pass the following info to individuals, mailing lists, or
newsgroups.
---
The House Telecommunications Subcommittee, chaired by Edward Markey (D-Mass),
will soon be holding hearings on the relationship of future communications
technologies to modern culture. In particular, it will be looking at the
not-so-far-off universe of cyberspace. Some of the issues the panel will be
considering are (in Markey's own words):
+ Are the fundamental values of our society so universal and enduring that they
will not be threatened by the advent of new technologies or any new subcultures
such technologies produce?
+ Will cyberspace instead become some lawless place, where the Constitution is
cracked open by fiber fissures created when trying to convert a 200-year-old
parchment document into a binary world of 0s and 1s? Can it continue to be a
"living, breathing document"?
+ Will cyberspace develop its own distinct laws? Will it develop "digital
vigilantes" to patrol and police the electronic bulletin boards and electronic
highways?
NODE 39c5773bFwd: cyberspace, congressional hearings
jla@gnu.ai.mit.edu (Joseph Arceneaux)Tue, 9 Mar 93 10:41:01 PST
These hearings look interesting, but it looks to me that the tide is
against solutions which are helpful to society.
I recently saw that the American Library Association is opposed to
putting the Library of Congress online. They feel that publishers
will retaliate by refusing to allow new books to enter the library
system. I think it is time to come up with a different paradigm for
our society than "intellectual property".
On Monday March 15 at 10AM KQED's Forumn will have a panel discussion
of "the NREN proposal" and related issues. Panelists will include EFF
representatives, members of Al Gore's staff, and folks from Silicon
Valley.
Joe