I 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4982 
To improve public awareness in the United States regarding safe use of 
the Internet through the establishment of an Office of Internet Safety 
and Public Awareness within the Federal Trade Commission. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 16, 2006 
Ms. BEAN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To improve public awareness in the United States regarding 
safe use of the Internet through the establishment of 
an Office of Internet Safety and Public Awareness within 
the Federal Trade Commission. 
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 ‘‘Safeguarding Amer-
ica’s Families by Enhancing and Reorganizing New and 
Efficient Technologies Act of 2006’’ or the ‘‘SAFER NET 
Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE. 
The Federal Trade Commission shall establish an Of-
fice of Internet Safety and Public Awareness, which shall 
have responsibility for programs and activities relating to 
increasing public awareness and providing education re-
garding Internet safety. 
SEC. 3. DIRECTOR. 
The Office shall be headed by a Director who shall 
be appointed by the Commission. 
SEC. 4. INTERNET SAFETY. 
For purposes of this Act, the issue of Internet safety 
includes issues regarding use of the Internet in a manner 
that promotes safe online activity, including safe trans-
actions involved in online commerce, and protects against 
threats to financial information and privacy, threats from 
cyber-crime, and threats to juveniles, including cyber- 
predators and material that is inappropriate for minors. 
SEC. 5. DUTIES. 
(a) ACTIVITIES.—The Commission, acting through 
the Office, shall carry out a nationwide program to in-
crease public awareness and education regarding Internet 
safety, for families, businesses, organizations, and other 
users, that utilizes existing resources and efforts of the 
Federal Government, State and local governments, non-
profit organizations, private technology and financial com-
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panies, Internet service providers, World Wide Web-based 
resources, and other appropriate entities, that includes— 
(1) evaluating Internet safety efforts and activi-
ties provided at various levels of government and by 
other entities; 
(2) improving efficiency of Internet safety ef-
forts and activities, by eliminating redundancy of ef-
forts at various levels of government and other enti-
ties, identifying, promoting, and expanding effective 
such efforts and activities and coordinating among 
such efforts and activities; 
(3) identifying, promoting, and encouraging 
best practices for Internet safety; 
(4) establishing and carrying out a national 
outreach and education campaign regarding Internet 
safety utilizing various media and Internet-based re-
sources; 
(5) serving as the primary contact in the Fed-
eral Government, and as a national clearinghouse, 
for information and public awareness efforts regard-
ing Internet safety; 
(6) facilitating access to, and the exchange of, 
information regarding Internet safety to promote up- 
to-date knowledge regarding current issues; 
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(7) providing expert advice and consultation to 
the Commission regarding Internet safety issues; 
and 
(8) providing assistance, including technical as-
sistance and financial assistance under subsection 
(c), to States, units of local government, schools, po-
lice departments, non-profit organizations, and such 
other entities as the Office considers appropriate to 
promote Internet safety education and public aware-
ness. 
(b) GRANTS AND CONTRACTS.— 
(1) AUTHORITY.—In carrying out subsection 
(b), the Commission, acting through the Office, may 
make grants, to the extent amounts are provided in 
advance in appropriation Acts for such grants, to, 
and enter into cooperative agreements, contracts, 
and interagency agreements with States, units of 
local government, schools, police departments, non- 
profit organizations, and such other public and pri-
vate agencies, entities, and organizations as the Of-
fice considers appropriate. 
(2) EVALUATION.—The Commission, acting 
through the Office, shall provide for evaluations of 
projects and activities carried out with financial as-
sistance provided under paragraph (1) and for the 
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dissemination of information developed as a result of 
such projects. 
SEC. 6. ANNUAL REPORTS. 
The Commission, acting through the Office, shall 
submit a report not later than March 31 of each year 
that— 
(1) describes the activities of the Office during 
the preceding calendar year; 
(2) contains any evaluations performed pursu-
ant to subsection (c)(2) for any projects and activi-
ties carried out during the preceding calendar with 
assistance under subsection (c)(1); 
(3) describes and analyzes the current state, as 
of the preparation of such report, of Internet safety, 
existing and emerging threats to Internet safety, and 
costs to the economy of the United States resulting 
from preventing, responding to, eliminating, and 
otherwise dealing with threats to Internet safety. 
SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS. 
For purposes of this Act, the following definitions 
shall apply: 
(1) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’ 
means the Federal Trade Commission. 
(2) INTERNET.—The term ‘‘Internet’’ means 
collectively the myriad of computer and tele-
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communications facilities, including equipment and 
operating software, which comprise the inter-
connected world-wide network of networks that em-
ploy the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet 
Protocol, or any predecessor or successor protocols 
to such protocol, to communicate information of all 
kinds by wire or radio. 
(3) OFFICE.—The term ‘‘Office’’ means the Of-
fice of Internet Safety and Public Awareness of the 
Federal Trade Commission, established by section 2. 
Æ 
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