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Don't Spam The Children In Michigan
by Chloe Albanesius
Michigan lawmakers are on track to enact two bills that would create a "do not spam" list for electronic devices that reach minors and classify violations of the registry as a computer crime.
Republican state Sen. Mike Bishop introduced a bill, S.B. 1025, that calls on the Michigan Labor and Growth Department or qualified third party to create a children's protection registry that would let parents or guardians register their children's electronic devices - such as cellular telephones, Internet accounts or pagers - with the state. Entries would remain in the database for three years or until the children turn 18. Companies that pitch services or products like gambling, tobacco, alcohol or pornography could not send unsolicited messages to numbers listed in the registry.
An authorized individual, service provider or the attorney general could sue for violations of the statute. They could recover actual damages, or $5,000 for each message transmitted, or up to $250,000 for each day the violation occurs.
The House unanimously passed the measure June 29; the Senate passed it May 20.
The other bill, H.B. 5979, would classify violations of the registry as computer crimes and authorize criminal penalties of up to a year in jail and fines of $25,000. The House passed that measure June 17, and the Senate passed it Thursday.
"These bills give parents the tools to protect their children and the state the mechanism to go after the spammers," Republican state Rep. David Palsrok, the author of H.B. 5979, said in a statement. "Most of these messages are only an annoyance, but some spammers advertise pornography, online gambling and other things that just aren't appropriate for minors."
The bills mirror legislation signed into law in Utah on March 23. That bill, H.B. 165, and the Michigan legislation are slated to take effect July 1, 2005.
The Michigan House Fiscal Agency said the bills are "well-intentioned" and may be useful in protecting children from harmful material but cautioned that implementation might be challenging. "There will likely be legal challenges on several fronts, including First Amendment arguments against regulating speech, arguments over the state's jurisdiction over out-of-state violators, and the issue of federal pre-emption of spam regulation," the agency said in its June 23 analysis. "Enforcement could prove ... time consuming and expensive." But the agency also said "the effort is worth making."
Liz Boyd, a spokeswoman for Gov. Jennifer Granholm, said Granholm is expected to sign the legislation.
N.J. Governor Wants More Security Aid
New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey is calling on the federal government to revamp the requirements for homeland security funding.
New Jersey has the largest seaport on the East Coast, handling 85 percent of New York's food and 80 percent of New England's heating oil, but the state receives $1.69 per capita in federal security aid, McGreevey said in a release, while the more sparsely populated and less vulnerable Wyoming receives $9.78 per capita. "The federal government needs to recognize New Jersey's critical infrastructure as regional and national assets," he said.
New Jersey ports met the July 1 deadline to implement rules on maritime transportation security McGreevey added. "These regulations are an important step in protecting our nation's ports from any terrorist attack."
In other security news, Republican Rep. Clay Shaw on Wednesday called on the Homeland Security Department to classify Broward and Palm Beach counties in his home state of Florida as their own urban areas under the department's Urban Area Security Initiative. Currently, the two counties are grouped with Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.
Report: Oregon Has More Telecom Competition
Competition among telecommunications providers in Oregon has increased, according to the state public-utility commission's fifth annual report. While the dominant carriers still largely control the scene, competitors' share of the market increased from 8.8 percent at the end of 2001 to 11.3 percent at the end of 2002.
Reported barriers to competing with the region's major companies -- Qwest Communications, Verizon Communications, Century Tel and Sprint -- include price, lack of facilities and the name recognition of the dominant firms. Smaller companies struggled more than their larger counterparts when investing in cable-television facilities and equipment to enable people to keep their cellular telephone numbers when changing providers, and when competing with Internet telephone service, the report said.
In other news, two Ohio universities last week were connected to a high-speed network for higher education and research, organizers announced. Equipment was installed on the campuses of Cleveland State University and Case Western Reserve University, with the remaining universities scheduled for completion in the near future.
The Third Frontier Network (TFN) will use the Internet to link Ohio's colleges, universities, branch campuses, and regional service agencies for elementary and secondary schools. The project "will enhance research, education and economic development within the state," Dominique Porter, manager of enterprise networks for Cleveland State, said in a release.
The Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission recently launched a campaign to educate residents about technologies that could help them communicate with the hearing-impaired via relay technology by telephone. "PA Relay on the Road" will be showcased this summer at county fairs, festivals and shopping malls, with information literature and demonstrations of relay technology. The move comes after a recent study revealed that less than 9 percent of Pennsylvania residents are aware of relay technology. One out of every 12 people in the state is hearing impaired.
And The Washington Post reports that the Montgomery County Council in Maryland is considering a plan to regulate cable-based Internet service. Under the rules, cable-modem providers would have to answer phone calls within 30 seconds, correct service interruptions within 36 hours and give rebates if service is not restored within 24 hours. Consumer advocates praised the move, but industry officials said the rules are unnecessary and illegal.
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