PIPA, essentially the Senate’s version of SOPA, has also been delayed, with Senate Majority Leader Harry Red claiming that he’d like to “resolve” the public’s issues with the bill before proceeding. So, for the time being, it appears that the most direct threats to a free web are off the table. However, seeing these bills knocked back into committee brings little comfort to those who follow politics and tech and even less to those who work in either.

Here’s why: The main problem with both SOPA and PIPA isn’t that they strangle the web at the behest of a few billion-dollar entertainment industry lobbies. This is certainly a concern, but it’s not the primary thing about which we should be concerned. The main problem, as I see it, is that the United States Congress apparently has no idea how the Internet works.

One need only look at the numbers to see how clueless Congress was on this issue. Before the blackout protests, SOPA and PIPA had an alarming 80 Congressional supporters and only 31 opponents. After the protest, the supporters dropped to 65, and the opponents jumped up to 101. While some of the new opponents had no previous stance on the bill, a shockingly large number had already spoken in support of SOPA/PIPA.

This means one of two things: Either the congressional representatives in question were swayed by the entertainment lobby, or, more likely, they simply signed onto the bill because they thought it sounded good. The responses out of Congress this week have been ridiculous, with several representatives grumbling about having a “talk” with their people so they’re more careful about what they let them sign –whatever happened to reading legislation before you put your name on it? From an outsider’s perspective, it’s hard to escape the feeling that many of SOPA/PIPA’s supporters in effect had no comprehension of what they were supporting.

The biggest issue with SOPA isn’t its wording. It’s the incompetency of the people that created and supported it. How can we expect our government to move nimbly and intelligently when a concept as basic as the Internet continually eludes them?  As long as Congress fails to understand the web and how it functions (at least in a basic sense), they will continue to write and promote damaging legislation that threatens the freedom of information we’ve all come to love so much.

The Internet won’t be safe until current congressional reps take a few community college classes on the Internet, or until we vote some more tech-savvy people into office. I’d recommend the latter.

If you want to get involved in the fight against SOPA/PIPA, which is absolutely still in progress, check out these resources:

• Information on H.R.3261: Stop Online Piracy Act  
• Information on S.968: PROTECT IP Act
• Electronic Frontier Foundation: Stop the Internet Blacklist Bills
• American Censorship: Write Congress Now

My name is Mike Foster, and I’m a video games writer. I do features, reviews, columns, opinions and guides – you can hire me! Anyway, this website is still young, so thanks for bearing with me while I get it all sorted out.

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