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The provider of a free service has a right to dictate the terms of use. However, a government service is NOT free, it is paid for with taxes. And last I check
by makecheck 18y ago
The provider of a free service has a right to dictate the terms of use. However, a government service is NOT free, it is paid for with taxes. And last I checked, producers of content that the FCC deems inappropriate are paying the same taxes as everyone else. (And increasingly in this YouTube generation, that could be almost anyone.)
Filtering is a CLIENT SIDE operation. The FCC isn't doing anything useful specifying what content is filterable. If the government wants to be useful, they can publish a list of recommended web browsers that allow user-specified filtering, e.g. through a list of URL patterns.
The approach of filtering the entire Internet service is of course overkill. It would be like using police to barricade the public roads that lead to an adult film store. The road is yours, paid with your taxes; whether or not you enter the shop is up to you, part of your own, personal filter.