I
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 896
To require the installation and use by schools and libraries of a technology
for filtering or blocking material on the Internet on computers with
Internet access to be eligible to receive or retain universal service assist-
ance.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 2, 1999
Mr. FRANKS of New Jersey introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on Commerce
A BILL
To require the installation and use by schools and libraries
of a technology for filtering or blocking material on the
Internet on computers with Internet access to be eligible
to receive or retain universal service assistance.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Childrens’ Internet
Protection Act’’.
SEC. 2. NO UNIVERSAL SERVICE FOR SCHOOLS OR LIBRAR-
IES THAT FAIL TO IMPLEMENT A FILTERING
OR BLOCKING TECHNOLOGY FOR COMPUT-
ERS WITH INTERNET ACCESS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 254 of the Communica-
tions Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254) is amended by adding
at the end thereof the following:
‘‘(l) IMPLEMENTATION OF AN INTERNET FILTERING
OR BLOCKING TECHNOLOGY.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An elementary school, sec-
ondary school, or library that fails to provide the
certification required by paragraph (2) or (3), re-
spectively, is not eligible to receive or retain univer-
sal service assistance provided under subsection
(h)(1)(B).
‘‘(2) CERTIFICATION FOR SCHOOLS.—To be eli-
gible to receive universal service assistance under
subsection (h)(1)(B), an elementary or secondary
school (or the school board or other authority with
responsibility for administration of that school) shall
certify to the Commission that it has—
‘‘(A) selected a technology for computers
with Internet access to filter or block material
deemed to be harmful to minors; and
‘‘(B) installed, or will install, and uses or
will use, as soon as it obtains computers with
Internet access, a technology to filter or block
such material.
‘‘(3) CERTIFICATION
FOR
LIBRARIES.—To be
eligible to receive universal service assistance under
subsection (h)(1)(B), a library shall certify to the
Commission that it has installed a technology to fil-
ter or block material deemed to be harmful to mi-
nors on its computers with Internet access and uses
such technology while the computers are being used
by minors.
‘‘(4) TIME
FOR
CERTIFICATION.—The certifi-
cation required by paragraph (2) or (3) shall be
made within 30 days of the date of enactment of the
Childrens’ Internet Protection Act, or, if later, with-
in 10 days of the date on which any computer with
access to the Internet is first made available in the
school or library for its intended use.
‘‘(5) NOTIFICATION
OF
CESSATION; 
ADDI-
TIONAL INTERNET-ACCESSING COMPUTER.—
‘‘(A) CESSATION.—A library that has filed
the certification required by paragraph (3)(A)
shall notify the Commission within 10 days
after the date on which it ceases to use the fil-
tering or blocking technology to which the cer-
tification related.
‘‘(B) ADDITIONAL
INTERNET-ACCESSING
COMPUTER.—A library that has filed the certifi-
cation required by paragraph (3)(B) that adds
another computer with Internet access intended
for use by the public (including minors) shall
make the certification required by paragraph
(3)(A) within 10 days after that computer is
made available for use by the public.
‘‘(6) PENALTY FOR FAILURE TO COMPLY.—A
school or library that fails to meet the requirements
of this subsection is liable to repay immediately the
full amount of all universal service assistance it re-
ceived under subsection (h)(1)(B).
‘‘(7) LOCAL DETERMINATION OF MATERIAL TO
BE FILTERED.—For purposes of paragraphs (2) and
(3), the determination of what material is to be
deemed harmful to minors shall be made by the
school, school board, library or other authority re-
sponsible for making the required certification. No
agency or instrumentality of the United States Gov-
ernment may—
‘‘(A) establish criteria for making that de-
termination;
‘‘(B) review the determination made by the
certifying school, school board, library, or other
authority; or
‘‘(C) consider the criteria employed by the
certifying school, school board, library, or other
authority in the administration of subsection
(h)(1)(B).’’.
(b) CONFORMING CHANGE.—Section 254(h)(1)(B) of
the 
Communications 
Act 
of 
1934 
(47 
U.S.C.
254(h)(1)(B)) is amended by striking ‘‘All telecommuni-
cations’’ and inserting ‘‘Except as provided by subsection
(l), all telecommunications’’.
SEC. 3. FCC TO ADOPT RULES WITHIN 4 MONTHS.
The Federal Communications Commission shall
adopt rules implementing section 254(l) of the Commu-
nications Act of 1934 within 120 days after the date of
enactment of this Act.
Æ