Final arguments set Friday
in Internet indecency case

May 9, 1996
Web posted at: 8:45 p.m. EDT

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- Final arguments were scheduled to be delivered Friday in a federal lawsuit that challenges the Communications Decency Act. The landmark case involves free speech on computer networks.

At issue is pornographic content, and how or if it should be regulated.

Signed into law in February as part of the telecommunications reform law, the Communications Decency Act forbids the distribution to minors of obscene or indecent material through the Internet or on-line services. Violators could be fined as much as $250,000 or sentenced to two years in prison.

A coalition led by the American Civil Liberties Union is challenging the law before a federal three-judge panel. Opponents say the act is too broad and unenforceable, and violates the First Amendment right of free speech.

The federal government contends the law's provisions are essential for shielding minors, and that computer networks should be more strictly regulated, like television, because young people can easily obtain indecent material from them.

Related story

• Internet indecency case gets under way - March 21, 1996

Related sites

• Full text of the telecommunications bill
• The American Civil Liberties Union
• Lawsuit information

Feedback Send us your comments. Selected responses are posted daily.

| CONTENTS | SEARCH | CNN HOME PAGE | MAIN TECHNOLOGY PAGE |

---

Copyright © 1996 Cable News Network, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.