Audio on the Telecom bill and Exon ammendment
This page is badly in need of updating - some of the links are probably broken. A complete
redesign wouldn't hurt either. But I have tendonitis, so it won't happen for a while.
This is a collection of NPR stories on the Telecommunications bill and Exon Communications Decency Act. These links were organized by me, Steve Rhodes. I have nothing to do with NPR. I'm just a listener.
You can also listen to the debate on the Senate Floor over Exon and Gingrich's statement against Exon. To listen to any of the audio on this page, you need a free beta verstion of the RealAudio player for the Mac or Windows. There is also more information on Exon.
- All Things Considered 6-12-95, A package on the telecom act including:
- Intense lobbying accompanies debate of telecommunicatiins bill in Senate Morning Edition 6-14-95
- Free Speech vs. regulations on computer harassment
All Things Considered 6-14-95
- All Things Considered 6-15-95 package on telecom bill and Exon ammendment
- The Senate votes today on a huge bill which restructures the telecommunications marketplace. The heavily-lobbied bill would allow broadcast, cable, and telephone companies to enter each other's markets, deregulate rates, and permit companies to have much larger monopolies. It also places new restrictions on obscene material on television and computer networks. NPR's Phillip Davis reports.(4:30)
- NPR's Peter Overby reports on a controversy that erupted during the
telecommunications debate today. Democratic Senator James Exon of Nebraska
accused the Republicans of making a deal to benefit media giant Time Warner. A
letter from a lobbyist to Senator Larry Pressler seems to imply that an amendment
introduced by Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole was written on Time Warner's
behalf. Senators Dole and Pressler deny any wrongdoing.(2:30)
- Robert Siegel talks with Jerry Berman, executive director of the Center for Democracy
and Technology, and Cathy Cleaver, director of legal studies for the Family
Research Council, about the ramifications of the Communications Decency Act, which restricts the transmission of obscene and indecent material over computer
networks. Mr. Berman says the bill, sponsored by Sens. James Exon (D-Neb.)
and Dan Coates (R-Ind.), is an overly broad abridgement of First Amendment
freedoms, while Ms. Cleaver argues that it targets only those Internet information
providers who knowingly make obscene or indecent material available to
minors.(7:00)
- NPR's Philip Davis reports on the Senate's approval yesterday of the
telecommunications bill. The bill would be the first major revision of
telecommunications laws since 1934. It would affect almost every area of the
multi-million dollar telecom industry, and widen competition between cable and
telephone companies. However,the Clinton administration and some consumer
groups say the legislation would only hurt the consumer. (4:29) Morning Edition 6-16-95
- Prayer is available on the information superhighway. NPR Religion Correspondent Lynn Neary reports on
the growing appeal of Prodigy's Prayer Line.It is attracting supplicants whose requests range from the
downright frivolous to the deadly serious. For many people, the non-denominational prayer line and a host
of other religious discussion groups represent a kind of transformative' virtual church'. (7:30) All Things Considered 6-19-95
- A federal judge in Detroit has dismissed all charges in a case involving the posting
of explicit sexual material on the Internet. NPR 's Don Gonyear reports on the
case of Jake Baker, a student at the University of Michigan who named a
classmate in a lurid fictional story of kidnap, rape, and murder that was read by
federal authorities.(4:30) All Things Considered 6-21-95
- Elizabeth Arnold begins a month-long series of reports on democracy in America. In the first report she looks
at how Washington is responding to public criticism that government remains inaccessible. Many politicians,
from Ross Perot to House Speaker Newt Gingrich, have called for more direct democracy through the aid of
new technology. (8:45) Morning Edition
7-1-95
- Host Bob Edwards talks to Democratic Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota, and Gary Shapiro of the
Electronic Industries Association, about an amendment passed by the Senate that would require new TVs to
come equipped with a special "choice chip" that would allow individual consumers to control what airs on
their televisions. Conrad sponsored the bill and says it would allow consumers, especially parents, to control
what comes into their homes. Shapiro thinks the government's involvement would only hinder similar efforts
already underway within the industry. (7:44) Morning Edition 7-5-95
- With Congress preparing to pass the most dramatic telecommunications legislation
in 60 years, Phillip Davis takes a look at what the future may bring, both in terms
of services available -- like movies delivered over phone-lines -- and the structure
of the marketplace - the bill promises to open whole new avenues to competition.
(8:10) Morning Edition 7-7-95
- Chris Arnold reports on efforts to control pornography and other objectionable
content on the Internet. A study conducted by researchers at Carnegie Mellon
University suggests the global computer network's heaviest traffic is sexually
explicit material. But free speech advocates and others oppose efforts by Congress
to monitor the newest form of global communication. (7:03) Morning Edition 7-10-95
- Phillip Davis reports on a Senate hearing on the transmission of sexually explicit material on computer networks. (3:05) Morning Edition 7-25-95
Additional Resources
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