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ACM / IEEE / ISOC letter about Senate hearings on Internet porn

``` Date: Fri, 21 Jul 1995 18:39:28 +0800 (U) From: Marc Rotenberg

July 21, 1995

Senator Charles E. Grassley 135 Hart Office Building U.S. Senate Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senator Grassley,

We were pleased to learn that the Senate Judiciary Committee will be holding a hearing next week on proposals to address concerns about materials on the Internet. This is clearly an issue that requires careful study before legislation is enacted. We appreciate the work of the Committee and its efforts to examine the implications of such proposals in more detail.

At the same time, we are concerned that the hearing may lack a critical component necessary for an informed assessment of these proposals. We understand that the current witness list does not include a single representative of any of the computer or engineering societies in the United States or anyone with expertise in the operation of the Internet. In short, no one with the ability to assess the implications of the legislation on the future of the nation's communications infrastructure will appear before the Committee when the hearing is held next week.

The omission is all the more glaring because technical proposals have been put forward as possible substitutes for legislation. It is critical that such proposals be examined by those with sufficient expertise to assess their feasibility.

Equally disturbing is the possibility that the author of a report which has raised serious ethical and methodological concerns within the academic community has been asked to present his views on this highly charged topic. It would clearly be inappropriate at this time for the Committee to base its views on this report.

This hearing may offer the last opportunity in the current Congress to assess the proposals to regulate speech on the nation's emerging communications infrastructure. All agree that these proposals will have far-reaching implications. It is critical that a complete and well informed record is established before action is taken.

We urge the Committee to ensure that there is adequate representation of the technical community at the hearing next week. All concerned will benefit from a well informed public discussion.

We would be pleased to provide you with the names of witnesses who could testify.

Respectfully yours,

Stu Zweben, President Association for Computing Machinery

Barbara Simons, Chair US Public Policy Committee of ACM (USACM)

Joel Snyder, Chair United States Activities Board Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

David J. Farber, Chair Committee on Societal Impacts, The Internet Society

cc: Senator Robert Dole Senator Patrick Leahy ```

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