[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3781 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3781

      To require the National Telecommunications and Information 
 Administration to update its report on hate speech, especially as it 
    relates to hate speech on the Internet, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 10, 1996

  Mr. Zimmer introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                         Committee on Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
      To require the National Telecommunications and Information 
 Administration to update its report on hate speech, especially as it 
    relates to hate speech on the Internet, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) The World Wide Web, a relatively new Internet 
        technology, is attracting a rapidly growing audience. The 
        global nature of the Internet permits the Web to reach a 
        worldwide audience. Web publishing is fairly inexpensive and 
        simple. Its broad reach, low costs and relatively easy-to-
        master technology have made the World Wide Web an ideal 
        propaganda vehicle for hate and extremist groups.
            (2) As computers become less expensive, simpler to use, and 
        consequently more common in American homes, as the barriers to 
        disseminating information through computers falls, bigots of 
        all kinds are rushing to use the power of modern technology to 
        spread their propaganda.
            (3) Traditional hate groups have established propaganda 
        sites on the World Wide Web.
            (4) Holocaust deniers are also using the Web.
            (5) A new type of hater, young and computer literate, has 
        become prominent on the Web. The ease of access creates 
        opportunities for young, previously unknown haters and hate 
        groups, to promote themselves and become active anti-Semitic 
        and racist propagandists. These individuals and groups have, 
        from time to time, used the facilities of both public and 
        private universities.

SEC. 2. REPORT UPDATE REQUIRED.

    Section 155 of the National Telecommunications and Information 
Administration Organization Act is amended by adding at the end the 
following new subsection:
    ``(c) Follow-up Report Required.--
            ``(1) Contents of report.--Within 240 days after the date 
        of enactment of this subsection, the NTIA, with the assistance 
        of the Commission, the Department of Justice, and the United 
        States Commission on Civil Rights, shall prepare a report--
                    ``(A) analyzing the use of the Internet and other 
                interactive communications media for the dissemination 
                of propaganda advocating hatred on the basis of race, 
                color, religion, national origin, or sex;
                    ``(B) evaluating the extent to which such 
                propaganda is accessible to minors, and the extent to 
                which software or other measures are available to 
                protect minors from such propaganda; and
                    ``(C) including any recommendations that such 
                agencies deem appropriate.
            ``(2) Submission of report.--The report required by 
        paragraph (1) shall be submitted to the Committee on Energy and 
        Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
        Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate.''.
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