[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 714 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 714

  To require the Attorney General to study and report to Congress on 
means of controlling the flow of violent, sexually explicit, harassing, 
       offensive, or otherwise unwanted material in interactive 
                      telecommunications systems.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                April 7 (legislative day, April 5), 1995

   Mr. Leahy (for himself, Mr. Kerrey, and Mr. Kohl) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                             the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require the Attorney General to study and report to Congress on 
means of controlling the flow of violent, sexually explicit, harassing, 
       offensive, or otherwise unwanted material in interactive 
                      telecommunications systems.

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

SECTION 1. STUDY ON MEANS OF RESTRICTING ACCESS TO UNWANTED MATERIAL IN 
              INTERACTIVE TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS.

    (a) Study and Report.--Not later than 150 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall complete a study and 
submit to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and the 
Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives a report 
containing--
            (1) an evaluation of whether current criminal laws 
        governing the distribution of obscenity over computer networks 
        and the creation and distribution of child pornography by means 
        of computers are fully enforceable in interactive media;
            (2) an assessment of the Federal, State, and local law 
        enforcement resources that are currently available to enforce 
        those laws;
            (3) an evaluation of the technical means available to--
                    (A) enable parents to exercise control over the 
                information that their children receive and enable 
                other users to exercise control over the commercial and 
                noncommercial information that they receive over 
                interactive telecommunications systems so that they may 
                avoid violent, sexually explicit, harassing, offensive, 
                or otherwise unwanted material; and
                    (B) promote the free flow of information 
                consistent, with Constitutional values, in interactive 
                media; and
            (4) recommendations to encourage the development and 
        deployment of technical means, including hardware and software, 
        to enable parents to exercise control over the information that 
        their children receive and enable other users to exercise 
        control over the information that they receive over interactive 
        telecommunications systems so that they may avoid violent, 
        sexually explicit, harassing, offensive, or otherwise unwanted 
        material.
    (b) Consultation.--In conducting the study and preparing the report 
under subsection (a), the Attorney General shall consult with the 
National Telecommunications and Information Administration of the 
Department of Commerce.
                                 <all>