[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 26 (Monday, June 30, 1997)]
[Pages 975-976]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on the Supreme Court Decision on the Communications Decency 
Act

June 26, 1997

    Today the Supreme Court ruled that portions of the Communications 
Decency Act addressing indecency are not constitutional. We will study 
its opinion closely.
    The administration remains firmly committed to the provisions--both 
in the CDA and elsewhere in the criminal code--that prohibit the 
transmission of obscenity over the Internet and via other media. 
Similarly, we remain committed to vigorous enforcement of Federal 
prohibitions against transmission of child pornography over the Internet 
and another prohibition that makes criminal the use of the Internet by 
pedophiles to entice children to engage in sexual activity.
    The Internet is an incredibly powerful medium for freedom of speech 
and freedom of expression that should be protected. It is the biggest 
change in human communications since the printing press and is being 
used to educate our children, promote electronic commerce, provide 
valuable health care information, and allow citizens to keep in touch 
with their Government. But there is material on the Internet that is 
clearly inappropriate for children. As a parent, I understand the 
concerns that parents have about their children accessing inappropriate 
material.
    If we are to make the Internet a powerful resource for learning, we 
must give parents and teachers the tools they need to make the Internet 
safe for children.
    Therefore, in the coming days, I will convene industry leaders and 
groups representing teachers, parents, and librarians. We can and must 
develop a solution for the Internet that is as powerful for the computer 
as the V-chip will be for the television and that protects children in 
ways that are consistent with America's free speech values. With the 
right technology and rating systems, we can help

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ensure that our children don't end up in the red light districts of 
cyberspace.