Skip to main content
1 of 1
A Firing Line Debate: Resolved: That the Government Has the Right to Regulate the Internet
Collection StructureFiring Line broadcast records > Episode guide > A Firing Line Debate: Resolved: That the Government Has the Right to Regulate the Internet
Item Title A Firing Line Debate: Resolved: That the Government Has the Right to Regulate the Internet
Guest Buckley, William F., Jr. (1925-2008)
Guest Estrich, Susan
Guest Glasser, Ira
Guest Cleaver, Cathleen
Guest Huffington, Arianna Stassinopoulos (1950-)
Guest Dyson, Esther (1951-)
Guest Hoffman, Reid
Guest Barlow, John P. (John Perry)
Host Buckley, William F., Jr. (1925-2008)
Moderator Kinsley, Michael E.
Date CreatedFebruary 23, 1996
Description

Congress had just passed the Communications Decency Act, making it a felony to send "indecent" or "patently offensive" material over the Internet if that material might be seen by children. Today's debate addresses not only the usual question of free speech versus overriding public interest, but also the question whether it is physically possible to regulate the Internet. First-time Firing Line debater John Perry Barlow brings a perspective we aren't used to hearing: "I come to you from cyberspace, and that sounds to you like a ridiculous thing to say.... But I am telling you that there is a social space that includes the entire geographical area of the planet Earth and a fairly large and rapidly growing percentage of the earth's population.... Arid those folks are not vulnerable to the excesses of the United States Congress. We are free and sovereign from whatever the United States Congress may wish to impose on the rest of the human race.... You've got people who have never been to this place trying to pass laws which have means of enforcement that they can't use. And this is not the sort of thing that is good for the law."

Language(s)
Country of Origin
Place RecordedLos Angeles, California, United States
DimensionsDuration: 2 hrs.
FormatMoving Image
Medium television programs
Aspect Ratio
4:3
Color
color
Soundtrack
sound
Hoover IDProgram FLS126
Record Number80040.1348
NotesVideo available through Amazon.
RightsCopyright held by Stanford University. This copy is provided for educational and research purposes only. No publication, further reproduction, or reuse of copies, beyond fair use, may be made without the express written permission of the Hoover Institution Library & Archives on behalf of Stanford University.
  • Hoover ID: 80040.1348
  • Amazon DVD
  • Amazon Prime & Instant Video
  • Special order a DVD or digital file
  • Video not available. Request program be made available.
  •  Contact us for licensing information.

Feedback Form

Type of feedback
User data
Close