Whats an Internet service provider to do if it wants to prevent its users from advertising?
A provider who gets the reputation of letting commercial advertising originate from its connection may become a Net anathema. A flood of flaming responses to a commercial advertisement can take down a machine. Does a provider *have* to let its users post commercial advertisements? Is this a legal or a social issue? Canter unquestionably has a First Amendment right to truthfully advertise his services as a lawyer, without undue interference or regulation by the government, as do other professionals. (In fact, this law firm recently defended Texas lawyers’ rights to advertise without fear of criminal prosecution.) However, Canter has no constitutional right to post such advertisements using his access to a *private* Internet service provider; with very rare exceptions, the Constitution does not apply to private individuals or companies. With the risk of being criticized for supporting “censorship,” there is no law preventing a commercial Internet provider from setting terms for the conte
