Today, the Texas State House begins hearings on HB3314 which intends to restrict obscene materials from truck stops offering internet access. The bill is short so the entire text is below:
79R4156 MXM-D
By: Brown of Kaufman H.B. No. 3314
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT
relating to prohibiting wireless Internet access to obscene
materials on public property.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter F, Chapter 2054, Government Code, is
amended by adding Section 2054.124 to read as follows:
Sec. 2054.124. WIRELESS INTERNET ACCESS TO OBSCENE
MATERIALS. (a) In this section:
(1) "Correctional facility" has the meaning assigned
by Section 1.07(14), Penal Code.
(2) "Obscene" and "material" have the meanings
assigned by Section 43.21, Penal Code.
(b) A state agency that provides wireless Internet access on
state property may not allow access to obscene materials through
the use of that wireless access.
(c) The department shall assist a state agency that requests
assistance in prohibiting access under this section, including
prohibiting access by using a filter or other software.
(d) Wireless Internet access to obscene materials is
prohibited at a correctional facility that is owned by, or operated
by or for, the state.
(e) This section does not apply to a university system or
institution of higher education as defined by Section 61.003,
Education Code.
SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 351, Local Government
Code, is amended by adding Section 351.045 to read as follows:
Sec. 351.045. WIRELESS INTERNET ACCESS TO OBSCENE
MATERIALS. The sheriff may ban or otherwise filter wireless
Internet access to obscene materials, as defined by Section 43.21,
Penal Code, in the county jail.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2005.
Let's examine this from the top: It's good that prisoners aren't looking at porn. God forbid, they might actually enjoy their prison term. Subsection C needs funding. State agents will have to install filters at every truck stop. Truckers, last time I checked, are grown men and perfectly capable of deciding how to spend time on the internet.
Pornography, in terms of strict binary data, is not any worse of a bandwidth problem than any given media outlet like CNN, New York Times, MSNBC, etc. If bandwidth is truly an issue, just block images in general. It will make “unauthorized” use of internet access completely pointless.
Truckers need regulations but pornography isn't one of those problems that truckers have. The real problems with truckers involve excessive amphetamine use, driving while tired, paying for butt-ugly hookers and randomly murdering counterculture types as Easy Rider documents.
At least access to internet porn will improve the hooker situation. To add insult to injury, idiotic university students are free to stink up their schools with the odd smell of masturbation without committing a crime against the state but stressed-out truckers get the same treatment as convicted felons—no porn. Texas shouldn't make a bad thing even worse. Knock it off with the moralizing. Let the truckers watch porn.
