Utah lawmakers are at it again, mulling a legislative crackdown on open wi-fi connections because they make it easier for children to access online pornography.
The state of Utah has been in the news a lot lately for its heavy-handed approach to Internet regulation. The most recent curfuffle was over a law banning the use of
The current initiative is built on the argument that kids are tech-savvy enough to bypass parental controls on home computers by accessing wireless networks to "
That assessment was made by Ralph Yarro, whom DesertNews.com describes as "a parent volunteering his time to stem what he calls a crisis of inappropriate material over an unregulated Internet," and the head of the nonprofit group
Supporters of the proposal say the state should offer tax incentives to service providers participating in the program, and even give them the equivalent of gold stars for their efforts they can post online.
One local service provider, XMission, is baffled by the logic. The ISP argues that providing pornography to minors is already illegal, making further legislation unnecessary.
Another voice calls for a statewide education program warning citizens of "uncontrolled porn in our society."
TechDirt.com's "
"We'd imagine that advertising the availability of porn on the internet would run counter to these people's goals, but apparently not."
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has already
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