WASHINGTON, DC — Fed up with the impossibility of keeping track of the latest and not-so-greatest changes in 2257 regulations? Wondering if a degree in database management might have been less stressful than a career in erotic photography? Confused by how many childhood nicknames should be listed on model releases and other documentation? Hoping the FBI doesn’t show up at your house demanding paperwork while you’re slaving away at your 9 – 5 gig? Got a few opinions about the whole 2257 debacle and ready to share them with the Free Speech Coalition? If so, the FSC is ready, willing, and eager to hear what you’ve got to say.Starting today, the FSC begins to more aggressively seek out industry insider opinions about the newest proposed 2257 regulations in preparation for sending the information along to the Department of Justice. Released on July 12, 2007, the public has until September 10, 2007 to speak its mind on a burden that the government agency insists affects the adult industry in only the most “negligible” of ways.
“It is up to us to prove otherwise,” FSC executive director, Diane Duke, reminds webmasters, photographers, models, fans, producers, and lovers of erotic materials.
As part of the FSC’s push to get the word out – and have it returned – its 2257 Guide for Public Comment has been released. Packed with essential information for the adult entertainment industry’s many members, the guide explains how to most effectively communicate during the public comment period and which pieces of information are most vital to the issue.
In addition to the new Guide, a FAQ will be added to the FreeSpeechCoalition.com website by Monday, July 30th, containing the answers to many questions raised by the latest proposed 2257 rules and regulations. The FAQ will also be included in next week’s X-Press e-newsletter available to FSC members.
Although the current regulations are not yet law, if they are allowed to pass as written, a number of new restrictions will take affect. The public comment period will allow the DOJ to evaluate the merit of its position and determine which aspects to maintain and which to adjust. The process generally takes several months but, without adequate affected industry feedback, could result in more complications, more inconvenience, more invasion of privacy, and more small producers dropping out of the business entirely or finding themselves inadvertently on the wrong side of the law, regardless of how obviously over age their performers may be.
Duke urges industry professionals to get involved, pointing out that “Full industry participation in the public comment period is critical. Failure to speak up now is tantamount to agreeing with the DOJ’s assessment of 2257’s burden on the industry. If the Department of Justice disregards our input, at the very least, we will have built a solid foundation for our next phase of litigation.
And litigation is precisely what the FSC has planned if the government persists in its obviously anti-industry policies against adult entertainment. Unless the regulations undergo a substantial change, the Free Speech Coalition plans to seek a court order restricting the government from implementing the proposed “final” regulations.
