CT moving forward with no-contact list for minors

In Connecticut, the Department of Consumer Protection is recommending that the state create a "Do Not Contact" list just for minors. The list would include not just phone numbers but emails, cellphone, pager and fax numbers (although, what kid uses a fax machine?), The Associated Press reports.

>Rep. Michael Lawlor, D-East Haven, co-chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said he is uncertain if such a registry is possible. It sounds good in theory, but could have numerous practical problems, he said.

"If it's not actually going to work very well, what would be the point of doing it?" he asked.

Marketers like the Free Speech Coalition - which represents adult entertainment companies - are challenging such laws in other states on First Amendment grounds.

The idea is expected to be drafted as a bill and signed by Gov. M. Jodi Rell if it passes the legislature.

"Governor Rell believes we have an obligation to protect minors from commercial messages that are inappropriate to their age, commercial messages that solicit them to buy items that they are already precluded by law from buying - like pornography, illegal drugs, firearms and other weapons," said Adam Liegeot, a spokesman for Rell.

"The governor feels that a registry can be created which insures the privacy of both registrants and senders while providing real benefits to law enforcement," he said.

In Utah and Michigan, registries have been created by Unspam Registries Inc. In those states, parents can add children's emails to a "Do Not E-mail" list. Companies then scrub their email lists against the registry and block matched addressed from receiveing emails. Companies have to pay a monthly fee.

Putting a government spin on what normal people would express as "You can't track down spammers," the CT agency notes that Utah and Michigan have been hard-pressed to track down companies that don't comply because of the "transnational scope of electronic communication."