Smut-free Broadband: Like That's Gonna Happen

Kevin Maney rolls his eyes: OK, so, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin earlier this year said he wants to auction off a chunk of spectrum to someone who will build a nationwide wireless broadband service that would be free. Oh, and it would also have to have built-in content filters that would block pornography. And now, two Congressional Democrats -- Ed Markey and Anna Eshoo -- have sent an encouraging letter to the FCC.

What the --?

Of course it's a nice idea, just like utopian communism started out as a nice idea, except for the fact that things just don't work that way. A whole bunch of real businesses rely on actually charging for the wireless broadband services they provide. The government can't go around sanctioning free broadband any more than it can build a free electrical grid or a free airline. (It CAN offer the equivalent of food stamps for broadband to low-income people who qualify -- wouldn't that be a better way of getting broadband to people who can't afford it?)

But then -- this part about content filters is nothing but a political hand grenade. You throw it out there, and if you're a politician and you don't back it, you wind up vulnerable to being labeled a sleaze who wants kids to see porno. There's just a little problem with free speech and civil liberties. What's the government going to block? Hustler.com? The Sports Illustrated swimsuit Web page? NBCOlympics videos of women volleyball players in tiny shorts? Who gets to decide? And when will the lawsuits from blocked sites and the ACLU start to pile up?

Anyway, the letter from Markey and Eshoo also mentions their WIN for Families Act, which is essentially the same as the FCC's idea. And not one that's likely to see the light of day.