By BROCK VERGAKIS
SALT LAKE CITY --In an effort to keep teenagers with laptop computers from driving around neighborhoods in search of a wireless Internet connection to look at pornography, state lawmakers are considering a proposal that would force homeowners to limit access to their wireless networks with a password.
The proposed legislation comes from Cheryl Preston, an Internet law professor at the Mormon church's Brigham Young University. She's developed several proposals designed to keep children from seeing pornography on the Web.
Legislators began considering them Wednesday.
"If you choose to have wireless, and allow anyone within a geographic area (to access it), then you ought to be responsible for that and you need to take reasonable efforts to prevent access by minors to your service," Preston said.
Under Preston's proposal, anyone who unintentionally failed to block access to their network would be fined. Intentionally leaving a wireless network open to minors would be considered the same as publishing pornography.
The proposal also says that anyone who wants to leave a wireless network open could do so if they used a filtering program that blocks pornography.
Preston has another proposal under which Utah's Internet service providers could be rewarded for filtering out pornography before it ever reaches homes, businesses, schools or telephones in this state.
Under the proposal, Utah-based Internet service providers would be designated as "community conscious" by state government if they require that its Internet users don't publish obscene material, take down obscene material and comply with court orders to remove any prohibited content. She said tax incentives could also be offered to companies that participate in the program.
"If you're a Utah provider we'll give you a designation that you can use in your advertising that you're an ISP that's chosen to (be) helpful in eliminating pornography. If you choose not to do that, great. But the citizens in Utah will be made aware," she said.
Preston also proposed requiring Internet service providers to keep records of who controls each Web outlet's unique IP address for two years and an educational program for students, parents and local governments about the impact of early exposure to pornography.
Legislators in the Public Utilities and Technology Committee were receptive to Preston's ideas.
"You can see there's problems here, and we've got to try to solve them," said Sen. Scott Jenkins, R-Plain City.
However, Jenkins, co-chairman of the committee, wants a closer look at the proposals. Preston's proposals will be studied throughout the summer.
If Jenkins' committee gives a favorable recommendation to the proposal it would be considered by the full House or Senate in January. Bills studied during the summer typically have a greater chance of passing than those that don't.
Copyright 2007 Reuters, Inc.
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