The outlook was grim. The Senate had just slam-dunked the First Amendment by passing the Exon Amendment, which aimed to turn the Internet into nothing more stimulating than Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. It looked bleak for cyberspace. Enter the Lone Ranger and Tonto: Representatives Chris Cox (R-California) and Ron Wyden (D-Oregon).
This conservative/liberal team brandished a bill dubbed the "Exon Killer," effectively prohibiting the government from placing any restrictions on online content.
"It's definitely a full 'hands off' approach," says Cox (a k a Lone Ranger). "Getting government involved with the Internet would be a tremendous drag on innovation."
The bill has the backing of another surprising white hat: Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Georgia). The "less government" tack, implicit in the Cox/Wyden bill, is popular with the House GOP posse. After all, it rode into Congress on a mandate of creating "less government." Now it has a chance to ride into cyberspace proclaiming the same thing.
ELECTRIC WORD
Universal Free Wireless Service!
Comrade Murdoch's People's Daily
Hands off the Net
