While the measure passed both houses of Congress easily, some members said they doubted whether the ban on indecent messages would withstand constitutional scrutiny.

He struck down the ban on indecent messages on the ground that it was "overbroad and unconstitutional."

The Administration, in F.C.C. v. Sable Communications, is seeking restoration of the ban on indecent messages.

For indecent messages, the penalty was a $50,000 fine and six months in jail.

Additionally, he said, "placing a telephone call is not the same as turning on a radio and being taken by surprise by an indecent message."

As discussed above, the "indecency transmission" provision makes it a crime to transmit knowingly an indecent message to a person the sender knows is under 18 years of age.

Adults who want to use the special lines to send or hear indecent messages must subscribe to the service in writing.

A House proposal would indemnify on-line service providers from liability if they attempted to filter out indecent messages.

Remember, the feminists repealed the old laws making it a misdemeanor to speak "any obscene, profane, indecent, vulgar, suggestive or immoral message" to a woman or girl.