The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 83, No. 19, Ed. 1 Friday, February 16, 1996 Page: 5 of 20
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MINHI
IB!
News
THE R CE THRESHER
mm
mm
16. 1996 I
Internet Begutat
Vikki Otero
A\U Ch/iv Eftllftr
On Fob. 7, President William J. Clinton
signed into law a major telecommunica-
tions bill that will change the operations of
many common forms of communication,
including*telephone, cable television and
the Internet. 'Hie House had approved the
bill by a vote of 414-16, and the Senate
passed it 91-5. "
Much of the nearly 100-page bill in-
volves deregulation of long-distance tele-
phone services and cable companies, which
allows overlap in the industries and allows
smaller services to compete with the large
servicesvthat currently dominate the indus-
try. It deregulates .small cable companies
immediately and other companies by March
31. 1999, or sooner if a cable company
competes with a telephone company for
cable customers. It also increases the num-
ber of stations a 'IT company can own.
The bill also requires new televisions to
be built with a computer chip that would
allow individuals to block certain shows
from entering their homes.
The part of the bill that is generating the
most discussion and controversy is known
as the Communications Decency Act
(CPA), which makes it unlawful to trans-
mit indecent material to those under the
age of 18. Because the Internet is public
and anyone can access any page, this would
allow the prosecution of anyone who posts
indecent material on any public web page.
What constitutes "indecent material" is not
defined in the bill.
This is the first major step ihe govern-
ment has taken to regulate the Internet,
which has until now been basically unre-
stricted. Opponents of the CPA believe
that it may be too restricting.
"Besides overhauling the telecommuni-
cations industry, the act includes provi-
sions intended to change the Internet from
arguably the most unrestricted communi-
cations medium in existence to the most
restricted," said Prentiss Riddle, adminis-
trator of Ricelnfo.
Sid Richardson College freshman Jonah
Mainwaring agreed. "It is a stupid idea
attached onto a great bill. As a whole the
Telecommunications Act is about opening
options [and] allowing the free exchange
of ideas. The CPA portion of the act is
simply nonsense," he said.
Usersof the Internet expressed displea-
sure at the prospect of their forum being
regulated.
"I've always thought that one of the
greatest things about the Net is that it was
free," said Karsten Braatenspace, a phys-
ics and astronomy graduate student.
The use of the word "indecent" rather
than "obscene" to define what is allowed
has also raised concerns, as some things
not considered obscene may be consid-
ered indecent. This means that the new bill
mqy prohibit items that are not illegal in
other forums.
" 'Indecency'"is a vague category, but
prior to this bill it referred largely to mate-
rial which is explicitly not prohibited as
obscene, including material,of recognized
artistic or scientific value Thus the act
criminalizes a broad range of expression
which is perfectly legal in print and which
the Supreme Court has repeatedly said
cannot be .criminalized under the First
Amendment," Riddle said.
One issue which may be affected by the
( PA portion of the Telecommunications
Act is the abortion debate. Advocates on
both sides of the debate fear that the act
may render abortion discussion on the
Internet illegal.
l/ovett College senior Analisa Norris of
Rice'for Life says that both she and the
organization are opposed to the bill.
"The only way the issue will be resolved
is by intelligent discussion, And there's
plenty of it going on right now," she said.
She also felt that the bill violates the Kirs!
Amendment.
„ In protest, many Internet users and ad
ministrators of World Wide Web pages
have turned their pages black with white
lettering, indicating that they are opposed
to the bill.
"I was awfully tempted to turn Ricelnfo's
pages black," Riddle said. BLt he decided
that he shouldn't use Ricelnfo to express
his own opinions and left Rice's pages as
they were. CNN is also avoiding turning its
pages black because they feel it violates
their journalistic objectivism.
As dissatisfied with the bill as they are,
opponents of the bill do not believe it will
stand up in court.
"The CPA was written and passed in the
full expectation that it would be found un
constitutional by the courts," Mainwaring
said.
Protests and discussion about the act
continue as new Internet newsgroups such
as a It.fuck: th e. co m m u n tea tio n s. deee n cy. a e t
appear.
"It may be time for some constructs
civil disobedience," Braalen says. 'If we
don't exercise and fight for our freedoms,
we will lose them."
Rice students discuss the bill on the
usenet group rice politics, and information
can be found at http://www.run.com/US/
9602/teleeom Jull and at http
mirrnrs.yahoo.com eft/speech.html
i
$ II
31
;! e
that she succes
comes to Houston; students try out
Chet Kapoor
■Wu'.s /: d it fit
A participant teceives the solution to a word,,puzzle
completed at the "Wheel of Fortune" tryout.s.
Several Rice students tried out to
be i ontestants for the "Wheel of for-
tune" show last Saturday.
The students were part of a group
of It) students from area colleges
and universities trying out to be con-
testants on the show.
According to Producer Harry
Friedman, the show periodically vis-
its 12 cities across the United States.
This is the first time in about
eight years that the show has visited
Houston for tryouts. 1
The participants were picked
through advertisements placed in
the mass media.
They played a few sample rounds
of the game, after which they were
asked to take a five-minute written
test and fill out a descriptive applica-
tion,
• About 15 or 20 people made the
cut. Apparently, the test scores were
just a small factocin deciding who
was chosen
There was no predetermined
number ot people who would qualify
lor further competition,
"We take as many I people) as we
think will make good contestants,"
Friedman said.
While students took the written
test, organizers scrutinized litem
according to several factors.
Friedman said that people were
not judged solely on the basis of
their test scores and applications
but also on their "energy and enthu-
siasm," among other factors.
Will Rice College senior Matt
Burger was one of the people who
tried out for the show.
"They wanted people who looked
like "Wheel of Fortune" contestants
— people who make the show look
good and are not necessarily the
best problem solvers," Burger said.
Another Rice student who pre-
ferred to remain anonymous said
he went to the tryouts to see how
participants for the show were
picked.
He said that it was evident to him
that test scores were not the only
factor in the decision process.
"I may have been able, to do as
well a> 'i! belief than main niliev:
people uliti irot chosen," In said.
Thresher Fditor in Chief Vivek
Rao. w ho altfiided Saturday1
morning's trvout, said, "ft seemed
la
I
like people's abilities to solve the
I
puzzles weren't quite as important
as their appearances."
Alter the decisions wen- an-
nounced, a small raffle was con-
ducted and many ot the participants
walked away with "Whet l of For-;
tune" memorabilia.
"A lot of these people that audi-
tion lor the show have been watch-
ing it for (a long time), so this is
really like a dream come true for
many of them," Friedman said
II invited to appear on the show,
contestants have to pay for the ex-
penses of then It ip
Since its ltw:isyndi( alien 'launch,
"Wheel 'of Fortune" lias awarded
inore than soy million in cash and
prizes, which amounts to an average
of S40.000 per show
Since i-tn 1'1 more than
1 Ut.OOO people have auditioned for
(lie show Hio-m.' auditions have pro-
duced 1 '/.(KM) (ontestants.
Pub now financially recovered
James Tolle
Shift Wuli r
The new Willy's Pub has enjoyed
a successful comeback in its first
year of existence, according to As-
sistant Manager Kenny Yates and
Staff Advisor and Assistant Director
of the Student Center Lisa Jones.
New equipment on all levels and
purchases such as the NTN Trivia
game have resulted in gross rev-,
enue levels similar to the past two
years.
'Also, both Jones and Yates-
stressed that the increasing crowds
at lunchtime were a big improve
ment overyears past. According to
Pub Manager Christie Hard, the Pub
had one of its best nights ever at its
grand opening, when more than 850
people attended.
l^ast semester, the Pub brought
in about fjMO.OOO from sales and"
earned about $ 15,000 in profits. Hard
said thefte figures were comparable
to fast year's;* but wen* a ttmsridrr*
able improvement from two years
ago when the Pub faced possible
shutdown due to insufficient fi-
nances.
Yates explained that this year the
Pub actually had enough money to
pay the university distribution
charges that were waived for two
years in an effort to keep the Pub
-afloat. Injhe same spirit, the Pub is
currently required to pay only the
.distribution charges on the space
behind the bar.
One of the keys to the Pub's abil-
ity to attract people at a higher level
is the greater selection of entertain-
ment offered, according to 'Yates.
With new equipment, he explained,
there is a greater ability to appeal to
a large group of people.
"The TV capabilities are infinitely
better. We havecable, NTN and the
two'additional TVs are a big help,"
Yates said.
In addition to the TVs, the re
vamped tfidejwpmes and food items
have also hdp>d bring in a lot more
non-drinkers, according to Yates.
The NTN game, which is free on
•Tuesdays and $2 on every other
night, is a new addition this year, yet
has not been quite as successful as
originally expected.
As far as raw attendance is con
cerned, Yates acknowledged that
perhaps a few more people have been
coming but that the new Pub has
attracted people on Pub Night in
spurts.
"We have really good specials
every night Tuesday night is SI
Rolling Rocks and free NTN. It's
kind of a different atmosphere,"
Yates said.
Jones explained that comparisons
of revenue to years past are not that
easy since former records are not
complete. She described the Pub's
situation as being better than ex*"
pected.
"I think it's doing great. It |the
new Pub] is doing equal to if not
better than expected," Jones said
Jones also stressed that the ef-
forts of the employees have been
critical to helping the Pub recover
so fast.
"Kenny Yates, Christy Hard and
Joey Olivier are some of the reasons
why the Pub has rebounded so
quickly. They've put in a lot of time,"
Jones said.
Willy's Pub
presents:
Beer & Beads
Tuesday, February 20
Get yourself some
beads and King cake.
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Klein, Charles & Rao, Vivek. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 83, No. 19, Ed. 1 Friday, February 16, 1996, newspaper, February 16, 1996; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth246532/m1/5/: accessed June 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.