House Faces Two Filtering Bills Linked to E-Rate

Staff -- Library Journal, 2/22/1999

Not only has Rep. Bob Franks (R-NJ) introduced the Children's Internet Protection Act, H.R. 543, a companion to Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) filtering bill, S. 97, he's sponsoring another version of filtering legislation. H.R. 368 also would tie filtering to E-Rate telecommunications discounts, but with a slight difference. The McCain/ Franks bill would allow libraries with only one terminal to eschew filters, while Franks's own bill would not provide that option. Also, the McCain/ Franks bill uses the term "harmful to minors," to describe the type of obscenity that would be screened out by the filters, while Franks's own bill uses the more broad term "inappropriate for minors." Library advocates are seeking an alternative bill that would emphasize control at the local level through local use policies, reports the ALA's Washington Office.