Critics of mandatory Internet filtering claim that it is a form of government censorship, and that current software is incapable of meeting the exacting demands of the First Amendment. That's just not technologically possible. Filtering requirements also present problems. Most common filtering systems are notoriously easy to circumvent, and user-friendly applications for automatically defeating them are regularly circulated online. In addition, some public servers allow users to avoid filters by forwarding copies of Web sites via e-mail.
Some clarification is on the way, however.
The Federal Communications Commission, which oversees E-rate, is expected later this month or early next month to propose regulations for complying with the filtering law. Congress has tasked the FCC with publishing a final rule no later than April 20. Schools, meanwhile, are attempting to decipher the government's directive as best they can to stay within the law. With the Fed's fuzzy mandate, schools and their partners are in for quite a lesson. ZDNet and ZDNet logo are registered trademarks of ZD Inc. Content originally published in Ziff Davis Media publications is the copyrighted property of Ziff Davis Media.