Leave the Internet alone, FCC wannabes!

By Matt Juliano
Collegian Staff
April 12, 2006

It was a little over a week ago when I happened to be perusing a website and noticed a little black box on top of a picture. The black box reminded me of parental advisory boxes often seen on television programs. This one, however, had WEB written across it. Later, I discovered that a group known as the Internet Regulation and Legislation Bureau (IRLB) were the culprits.

This radical group has snuck by the press and managed to pass several bills right under the noses of the American public. According to its mission statement, the IRLB does not consider itself to be a radical group: it reads, “the IRLB strive to bring order to the Internet empowering consumers, parents and concerned citizens to have a safe, pleasant and profitable experience.”

Fantastic, another unelected group in charge of censorship, only this time it is after the only free-speech mass medium left: the Internet!

The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) was formed by President Roosevelt in 1934 to regulate all radio broadcasts. When television became popular, the FCC began to regulate it as well. It seemed the FCC deemed TV and radio to be the only two mediums not protected by the First Amendment. It was so nice of the organization to think of that on its own and never consider the fact that people have free will which enables them to change the channel. I know it was a new concept back in the 1930s, but I do remember seeing pictures of old transistor radios that contained two knobs. One knob dealt with volume and the other actually turned the station. How about that?

It is apparent to me that society never opts for the easy way out. People love to complicate matters. Instead of turning the station off, they decided to call up and complain because they are offended by what they heard. Never taking into account the people who like it, children are often used as scapegoats for these complainers to get their way. In 1975, the FCC instituted a “Family Viewing Hour,” claiming that each network had the responsibility to air family-friendly programs during the first hour of the primetime line-up. That policy lasted all of two years, before it was taken to court and overturned.

Back to modern day American where citizens still cry and whine until they get their way. IRLB lawyer Lee Choon Soo recently won a case against Howard Stern’s website, citing it to be indecent and obscene. I agree that Stern’s website is a bit tasteless at times, but anybody who visits it should know what to expect. It is like walking into a supermarket and expecting to find used cars for sale.

The IRLB has already passed a bill mandating all free websites must comply with its rating system or be charged a penalty for not complying with its rules. The country is losing its freedom of speech a little more with each passing day. Once the Internet becomes regulated, there will not be any more mass media that have 100 percent freedom of speech. But please, won’t somebody think of the children?

julianm1@lasalle.edu