Washington – The Computer & Communications Industry Association released a legal analysis on the Constitutional issues raised by the California Journalism Preservation Act. The bill, AB 886, would compel private companies to carry unwanted speech while mandating an arbitration process that would ultimately result in one industry paying another and prevent businesses from exiting the market or changing their business model.
The following can be attributed to CCIA President Matt Schruers:
“Objective journalism is essential in a democracy, but this legislation would hurt the very local journalists it aims to protect and set a problematic legal precedent.
“The bill requires private companies to carry speech in direct violation of the First Amendment. It also forces digital services to publish and pay producers of dangerous content at a time when these services are working to limit the spread of misinformation in their communities.”