2012 State of the Net Conference

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Agenda

Tuesday, January 17, 2012
11:30 am Reno vs. ACLU 15 Years Later - Has the Era of Government Media and Communications Content Regulation Come to an End?

Panelists:
- Robert Cannon, Federal Communications Commission (moderator) [bio]
- Catherine Crump, Staff Attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union's Speech, Privacy and Technology Project [bio]
- Dan Isett, Director of Public Policy, Parents Television Counsel [bio]
- Jeff McIntyre, Director - National Policy, Children Now [bio]
- Adam Thierer, Senior Research Fellow, Mercatus Center at George Mason University [bio]

It has been 15 years since the Supreme Court ruled the Communications Decency Act (CDA) unconstitutional. The intervening years have yielded significant challenges and changes to the government's ability to regulate media content and communications. The judiciary has made limited regulatory and legislative efforts to control content across various media and the current state of government authority to regulate is unclear. The Child Online Protection Act (COPA), which came after the CDA, was eventually overturned by Ashcroft v. ACLU. Yet the Child Internet Protection Act (CIPA), which restricts federal funds to schools and libraries that do not install Internet filters, has endured legal challenges. Several court cases have substantially affected the ability of Congress to regulate non-health related content on the Internet -- soon to be the most predominant media and communications platform. More recently, the Supreme Court rejected the California state government's attempt to regulate violent video games sold in retail outlets. Further, the broadcast indecency case, Fox v. FCC, is pending for the next term at the Supreme Court, but indications point to a limiting of even the FCC's broadcast content regulatory authority. Our diverse panel of experts will debate and discuss the present state and future of media and Internet content regulation by the US Government.

* Subject to change. More panels and keynotes may be added. Contact Cat Matsuda for more information.

This is a widely attended event hosted by the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee (ICAC), part of a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization. The ICAC is a private sector organization comprised of public interest groups, trade associations, non-profits, and industry leaders. The diversity of ICAC membership ensures that all educational events and initiatives are fair and balanced forums for Internet-related discussion. The ICAC does not promote any particular policy position.