NEWT KNOCKS CYBER-SMUT AMENDMENT

Opponents of anew Senate plan to ban "indecent" material from the Internet and online servicesnow have an ally in House Speaker Newt Gingrich. On his weekly cable program "Progress Report" Tuesday night, Gingrich said the Communications Decency Act -- whichcleared the Senate overwhelmingly last week-- was "clearly a violation of free speech and it's a violation of the right of adults to communicate with each other." The amendment to a massive telecommunications reform package would impose fines of up to $100,000 and prison terms of up to two years forknowingly transmitting "obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy or indecent" pictures or commentsover electronic networks accessible to anyone under 18. Gingrich, an Internet enthusiast, acknowledged serious First Amendment and enforcement concerns and called the Senate bill "very badly thought out and not very productive." House members are already planning a far less restrictive approach: Reps. Christopher Cox (R-Calif.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) are pushing their own plan to give parents, not government, power to block children's access to sexually explicit or obscene materials.