Texas Bill to Filter Highway Rest Stop Internet

girlchik writes "HB 3314, up for hearing in the Texas House State Affairs committee on Monday, would require the state to filter wireless internet access at highway rest stops. This bill mandates filtering at any state-provided wireless network on public property. Since last May, the Texas Department of Transportation has offered wifi access at state rest stops. There is also wifi access at some Texas state parks provided in partnership with Tengo Internet. This bill protects truckers at highway rest stops and campers in their RVs at campsites from adult content. Sounds both wasteful and unconstitutional."

Comments

CB radios

[fembots]

Are they subject to filtering soon too?

Re:CB radios

[ShaniaTwain]

This bill protects truckers at highway rest stops and campers in their RVs at campsites from adult content.

THANK GOD! someone is finally protecting the nations truckers from adult content.. this is particularly good for all those underage truckers. We'll definately want to get those CB's filtered, as well as payphones, cellphones and conversations in diners. It might take a lot of work, but eventually we'll get everything clean clean clean.

Then we can start to work on preventing Male Trucker Lactation

Re:CB radios

[C0d1ngM0nk3y]

Why don't they go all the way an put V-Chips in all of our heads so we can't think unclean thoughts wihtout getting an electric shock?

Re:CB radios

[yesteraeon]

Damn! Now this is the type of content the State should really protect me from. How the hell am I supposed to know that a page at bugshit.com is fake???

Breaker, breaker

[Anne_Nonymous]

Smokey on my IP Log, Bandit.

Well this is great news...

[Anonymous Coward]

for truck stop prostitutes!

Re:well...

[maxjenius22]

Yes, because the state gets it's money from magical gnomes who collect underpants.

Obscenity definition

[kschawel]

In the bill, it references section 43.21 of the Texas penal code. I looked it up to find the definition of obscenity (and material, but that's not interesting). Here:

1. "Obscene" means material or a performance that:

A. the average person, applying contemporary community standards,would find that taken as a whole appeals to the prurient interest insex;

B. depicts or describes:

i. patently offensive representations or descriptions of ultimate sexual acts, normal or perverted, actual or simulated, including sexual intercourse, sodomy, and sexual bestiality; or

ii. patently offensive representations or descriptions of masturbation, excretory functions, sadism, masochism, lewd exhibition of the genitals, the male or female genitals in a state of sexual stimulation or arousal, covered male genitals in a discernibly turgid state or a device designed and marketed as useful primarily for stimulation of the human genital organs; and

C. taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political,and scientific value.

I found C pretty funny, isn't that pretty much half of the internet?

Re:Texas state constitution - nothing about net

[Scrameustache]

Here are the main sections of the Texas state constitution.
I can't find anything about requiring access to the entire internet if you provide access to some of the internet.

It's section 8.
Didn't look hard, did you?

I'm feeling all protected inside!

[theraccoon]

Finally! Now I'll be protected from all that p0rn getting onto my hard drive. And I'm certain those lonely truckers will be extra grateful for the protection. This is a win-win, folks!

Protects Truckers

[NitsujTPU]

It is important to protect truckers from adult content. You know how sensitive they can be! The last thing that I would want to see after a long drive, at the end of the day, would be a naked woman doing something sexual. Instead, it would be far better for me to read Slashdot, or something of that nature.

You know what delicate flowers truckers can be!

Re:hmm

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, and they didn't even have a copy of Linux Journal, sheesh.

Re:hmm

[Anonymous Luddite]

>> Have you ever seen a magazine rack at a truck stop?

No kidding. I bet this has less to do with preventing porn (impossible) or stopping illegal activities (good luck) than protecting the legislators chances of getting re-elected

Anyone willing to take a stand against truck-stop masturbation must be worthy of your vote...

Here you go!

[fbartho]

Fuck Cock Shit Balls Bitch. Now I've protected you from using the free trucker wifi to connect to slashdot. You're welcome. :)

Re:Truckers will crack system

[mhotchin]

"bring Texas lawmen to their knees."

Thanks, I'll go wash my brain out with bleach now to get rid of *that* image.

Time to switch to instant

[Scrameustache]

the pr0ns people still find ways to get the waving wangs through the filters.

Oh great, thanks a lot! Now I won't ever be able to look at filtered cofee the same again!

Re:Same for Municipal WiFi?

[Wavicle]

I'll say it once: You don't live in a democracy. I'll say it again: You don't live in a democracy.

The majority rules when it comes to representatives, and it rules when it comes to local law (in some cases) as long as, and *only* as long as it doesn't violate the constitution.

You do realize you just described a constitutional democracy, right?

In other news...

[HughJJorgan]

Tom DeLay pushes to have Democratic National Committee websites marked as "Adult Content"...

Re:I dunno about both.

[coastwalker]

Thank god someone has some common sense around here!

Its so sad seeing the great US of A being buried under the tide of politically incorrect rubbish available on the internet

If the state pays for it then the state should be in control of it. Though idealy the best way to deal with the problem would be to monitor all of the transactions all of the time and to detect those truckers abusing the service.

The proper course of action would then be to imprision them without trial and re-educate them. I'm sure modern interrogation techniques accompanied by powerfull psychotropic drugs, regular beatings, poor food and watching all their relatives being burned to death would ensure that they did not misbehave again.

I just cannot understand why a poor third world nation like China can be better at this sort of thing than the USA. I blame lax moral standards myself, its about time god fearing christians got organised and butchered all those heathen non-believers, theres just too many of them. This is another place where the US is falling far behind the progressive modern world - when was the last time a christian suicide bomber killed, mutilated and maimed dozens of supposedly innocent young people in a coffee bar?

Its time the USA pulled its socks up and imposed some decency on the internet before it becomes the laughing stock of the world.