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

Interesting Issue

[logicnazi]

While this is certainly a disturbing development the constitutionality of it is unclear and quite interesting.

On the one hand the first ammendment certainly does not require libraries to provide pornographic magazines or otherwise provide some unbiased representation of viewpoints. In general the first ammendment does not restrict the government from providing some content but not others (except when this infringes on the establishment clause).

However, while library filtering has been deemed constitional the supreme court has also ruled that libraries must allow adults to bypass the filters. In other words apparently the supreme court has recognized that internet filtering is significantly different than buying library books. The library has legitimate financial constraints in what books it provides but does not in internet filtering.

So the question becomes very unclear in the case of truck stops. Since these are entierly automated they can't very well demand a librarian turn the filtering off. Still, since one does need to be at least 16 to drive and because of the real possibility that by providing enough government internet access filtering could stifle free speech I imagine it would be declared unconstitutional but it is a tough call.

Re:I dunno about both.

[Sunlighter]

If that were the real intent, they could set up a content-neutral form of blocking, based on actual bandwidth usage.

Re:Filesharing?

[FidelCatsro]

I would really hope that a majority of people don't have a problem with truckers looking at porn..Why would people even worry about that .I mean i had never thought about it before today (Its more worrying people are thinking about this as a cause for concern). i think i would have no problem with it .
Honestly they are on the roads for hours alone they cant drink so what else is left , smoking and porn.

Anyway if they filter out the porn ,people are going to be paying exactly the same for the truckers to look at other things .
the whole argument is illogical as truckers pay taxes too.

Prudish attitudes are immature and what this boils down too is some moralist politican trying to force his belifes(of things that will get him votes) on others.

Truckers are one of the backbone of the western world , so lets cut them some slack here and allow them to look at some porn when they are on a break