We are still in the middle of the mammoth Stevens bill.  The world is spinning around us -- interesting things are happening, summer is ending in the U.S., back-to-school ads are everywhere -- but those in Congress are still on vacation.

The next section of the bill (starting on p.206) requires televisions to have digital tuners after March 1, 2007 and begins the process of setting energy standards for the converter boxes that analog TVs will use. 

Starting on p.208, the bill requires cable operators to carry TV stations that are being transmitted in the cable system's locale.  Until 2014, the cable operator can take high definition TV and transmit it as "standard definition" television.  Small cable systems can offer digital TV programs in analog format.  Satellite carriers will have to do the same things that cable systems do.

Section 702 (p.216) reinstates the video description rules that were overruled by the D.C. Circuit in MPAA v. FCC (2002).  Take THAT!

A final section in this Title VII exempts Spanish-language TV stations close to the US-Mexico border from making the transition from analog to digital. 

Title VIII (beginning p. 221) is titled "Protecting Children."  It requires video service providers to comply with future FCC regulations on child pornography. 

Preventing the abuse of children is one of the few almost-international norms we have.  But the next section requires a very careful look:  it requires "warning labels for websites depicting sexually explicit material." 

This is an old, bad issue.  Congress keeps working on laws that will have the effect of limiting access by adults to speech that is legal for adults.  This is an incredibly broad new entry in this old, bad story.  The definition of "sexually explicit" is vague -- it covers "material that depicts sexually explicit conduct."  That could be almost anything in any popular movie today.  The FTC is supposed to develop labels that "will inform any person who accesses that website of the nature of the material and to facilitate the filtering of such pages or screens." 

A recent letter by the Center for Democracy & Technology makes clear why this is such a bad idea.  The labeling requirement will hurt voluntary labeling efforts, won't prevent kids from accessing porn originating from outside the U.S., is tied to a disproportionate criminal sanction, and will prompt sites to self-censor.  Enacting such a provision will lead to years of litigation and won't help to protect children.

That's enough for today.  The next section, which targets "DECEPTIVE WEBSITE DEVICES [designed] TO TRICK INDIVIDUALS INTO ACCESSING MATTER THAT IS OBSCENE OR HARMFUL TO CHILDREN" looks too depressing to deal with until tomorrow.