MILT THOMAS

Wi-fi connections these days are so common you can go to McDonald’s for a cup of coffee and surf the ‘net for free. In the not-too-distant future, entire cities will be wi-fi enabled. But in many countries I visit, the only internet access  (if you are not staying in a five star hotel) is through internet cafes. So, imagine my surprise when I learned that the Florida State Legislature is considering a ban on internet cafes because some of them are fronts for illegal gambling. That would be like passing a bill that banned dating services because some of them…well, maybe that’s not a good comparison.

Aside from the fact that most Americans have computers at home with internet capability or they can go to the aforementioned McDonald’s, why would anyone go to an internet cafe where you must pay for that service? More importantly, in this country, why would anyone want to OWN an internet cafe?

The answer lies in the right to privacy. Most people who have computers at home probably share them with spouses or kids and there are some internet sites best left un-viewed.  And what could be worse than surfing those sites at McDonald’s with someone looking over your shoulder eating a Big Mac?

So it would seem that internet cafes come in handy when surfing for subjects typically banned in the Bible. Of course, in Biblical times they didn’t  have the internet. And hieroglyphic-embossed stone tablets were difficult to hide from your wife or from someone looking over your shoulder eating a falafel.

But banned in the Bible doesn’t  mean illegal, at least not in most places. So, it gets down to what is considered illegal on a public internet connection. If you live in China, the internet itself is illegal, so whether or not you use it for gambling purposes is academic. And in Uganda, it is illegal to trade wives over the internet. Then again, maybe it isn’t. I don’t know.

So, it gets down to what is illegal in the U.S., and more specifically, in Florida, since ours is the only legislature I know of considering a ban on internet cafes.

Now, if the bill being considered simply banned illegal gambling, that would be redundant since the word ‘illegal’ implies that laws already exist. But as they say in Uganda, legislators are trying to kill a mosquito with an elephant. I don’t really know if they say something like that in Uganda, but I don’t know their position on trading wives either.

This proposed ban also has what are commonly known as unintended consequences. It seems that the internet cafe industry, or at least some companies in the industry, are large contributors to political campaigns. In fact, one organization allegedly paid out more than $1 million to Florida politicians who could regulate them or put them out of business.

Several legislators have already indicated they will donate contributions they received from internet cafe operators to charity. Lieutenant Governor Jennifer Carroll resigned over her connections to the industry. Governor Scott has so far failed to take a position on the subject, but when Carroll resigned, he closed the entire Office of Lieutenant Governor and furloughed the staff. I guess with a tough re-election campaign coming up and lagging in the polls, he needs to distance himself from anything to do with internet cafes. I hope no legislators resign or he might close the capitol building.

We do know that one local Vero Beach internet cafe has closed its doors since the scandal erupted. However, it seems a tad over-reactive for the State Legislature to ban all internet cafes because of a few companies in that business. Oh, and a few politicians. Come to think of it, this sure sounds like Uganda.