For Immediate Release: March 12, 1998 For Further Information Contact: Barry Steinhardt, 415 436 9333 Statement of Electronic Frontier Foundation President Barry Steinhardt on the Senate Commerce Committee's Approval of Coats and McCain Internet Censorship Bills The Senate Commerce Committee made a grave mistake this morning by approving the Coats and McCain bills, both of which will censor content on the Internet. It is particularly disheartening that the Committee took action on short notice and without allowing free speech advocates, educators and librarians any meaningful opportunity to be heard on these dangerous and censorious proposals. The Coats bill, which in the name of protecting children, will effectively block adults from receiving a wide variety of legitimate material that falls under a vague category of "harmful to minors", has all of the same constitutional defects as the earlier Communications Decency Act (CDA). Like the CDA, it cannot withstand a review in the courts. The McCain bill would force libraries and schools, which receive Federal Universal Service monies for Internet connections, to use all too frequently crude and overbroad filters that also block out a wide array of non-"indecent" speech. Children and adults alike will be denied the full potential of the Internet as the true marketplace of diverse ideas.It will deprive library patrons, students and speakers of the their First Amendment rights. EFF will vigorously oppose these bills as they move through the legislative process and we will work to rally the Net Community in opposition. --30--