[NTLUG:Discuss] YIKES! Texas bill could render firewalls/routers illegal...

[kbrannen@gte.net]

Kelledin wrote:
> On Friday 28 March 2003 04:57 pm, Rob Apodaca wrote:
> 
>>"...conceal from a communication service provider, or from any
>>lawful authority..."

I haven't read the whole bill, but the top part says:

AN ACT relating to the criminal and civil consequences of conduct
involving the theft of or tampering with certain communication or
information services.

This makes it sound like they're trying to do the IT equivalent of people 
stealing "cable service".  Though as someone else pointed out, the "letter of 
the law" is what gets enforced and may be beyond the original "spirit of the 
law". :-/

...
> 
> Well, the traditional means is to send a letter to your local 
> government representative.  On the federal level, this would be 
> your Congressman, but that doesn't really apply here.  Not sure 
> what the equivalent would be on the state level...

The state of Texas has equivalents.  For those of us in the northwest DFW 
area, that would be TX Senator Jane Nelson.  But Dallas has 2, and Fort Worth 
has its own as well; see http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/legis/members/roster.cfm 
(make sure it's set to the 78th legislature).  Your TX Representive will 
depend on where you live, and that same URL will list them too, though finding 
which one is yours is not overly easy.  There may be an easier way, but I've 
yet to find it.

Last minute note, see http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/fyi/fyi.htm to find your 
representive and sentor.  So now I know my representive is Mary Denny, as well 
as both her and Sen. Nelson's address. :-)

HTH,
Kevin