[107th Congress Public Law 317]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]


<DOC>
[DOCID: f:publ317.107]


[[Page 2765]]

           DOT KIDS IMPLEMENTATION AND EFFICIENCY ACT OF 2002

[[Page 116 STAT. 2766]]

Public Law 107-317
107th Congress

                                 An Act


 
  To facilitate the creation of a new, <<NOTE:  Dec. 4, 2002 -  [H.R. 
 3833]>> second-level Internet domain within the United States country 
  code domain that will be a haven for material that promotes positive 
  experiences for children and families using the Internet, provides a 
safe online environment for children, and helps to prevent children from 
    being exposed to harmful material 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 <<NOTE: Dot Kids Implementation and 
Efficiency Act of 2002.>> assembled,

SECTION 1. <<NOTE: 47 USC 901 note.>> SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Dot Kids Implementation and 
Efficiency Act of 2002''.

SEC. 2. <<NOTE: 47 USC 941 note.>> FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds that--
            (1) the World Wide Web presents a stimulating and 
        entertaining opportunity for children to learn, grow, and 
        develop educationally and intellectually;
            (2) Internet technology also makes available an extensive 
        amount of information that is harmful to children, as studies 
        indicate that a significant portion of all material available on 
        the Internet is related to pornography;
            (3) young children, when trying to use the World Wide Web 
        for positive purposes, are often presented--either mistakenly or 
        intentionally--with material that is inappropriate for their 
        age, which can be extremely frustrating for children, parents, 
        and educators;
            (4) exposure of children to material that is inappropriate 
        for them, including pornography, can distort the education and 
        development of the Nation's youth and represents a serious harm 
        to American families that can lead to a host of other problems 
        for children, including inappropriate use of chat rooms, 
        physical molestation, harassment, and legal and financial 
        difficulties;
            (5) young boys and girls, older teens, troubled youth, 
        frequent Internet users, chat room participants, online risk 
        takers, and those who communicate online with strangers are at 
        greater risk for receiving unwanted sexual solicitation on the 
        Internet;
            (6) studies have shown that 19 percent of youth (ages 10 to 
        17) who used the Internet regularly were the targets of unwanted 
        sexual solicitation, but less than 10 percent of the 
        solicitations were reported to the police;
            (7) children who come across illegal content should report 
        it to the congressionally authorized CyberTipline, an online

[[Page 116 STAT. 2767]]

        mechanism developed by the National Center for Missing and 
        Exploited Children, for citizens to report sexual crimes against 
        children;
            (8) the CyberTipline has received more than 64,400 reports, 
        including reports of child pornography, online enticement for 
        sexual acts, child molestation (outside the family), and child 
        prostitution;
            (9) although the computer software and hardware industries, 
        and other related industries, have developed innovative ways to 
        help parents and educators restrict material that is harmful to 
        minors through parental control protections and self-regulation, 
        to date such efforts have not provided a national solution to 
        the problem of minors accessing harmful material on the World 
        Wide Web;
            (10) the creation of a ``green-light'' area within the 
        United States country code Internet domain, that will contain 
        only content that is appropriate for children under the age of 
        13, is analogous to the creation of a children's section within 
        a library and will promote the positive experiences of children 
        and families in the United States; and
            (11) while custody, care, and nurture of the child reside 
        first with the parent, the protection of the physical and 
        psychological well-being of minors by shielding them from 
        material that is harmful to them is a compelling governmental 
        interest.

    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to facilitate the creation of a second-level domain 
        within the United States country code Internet domain for the 
        location of material that is suitable for minors and not harmful 
        to minors; and
            (2) to ensure that the National Telecommunications and 
        Information Administration oversees the creation of such a 
        second-level domain and ensures the effective and efficient 
        establishment and operation of the new domain.

SEC. 3. NTIA AUTHORITY.

    Section 103(b)(3) of the National Telecommunications and Information 
Administration Organization Act (47 U.S.C. 902(b)(3)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period at the end 
        and inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(C) shall assign to the NTIA responsibility for 
                providing for the establishment, and overseeing 
                operation, of a second-level Internet domain within the 
                United States country code domain in accordance with 
                section 157.''.

SEC. 4. CHILD-FRIENDLY SECOND-LEVEL INTERNET DOMAIN.

    The National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
Organization Act (47 U.S.C. 901 et seq.) is amended in part C by adding 
at the end the following new section:

``SEC. 157. <<NOTE: 47 USC 941.>> CHILD-FRIENDLY SECOND-LEVEL INTERNET 
            DOMAIN.

    ``(a) Responsibilities.--The NTIA shall require the registry 
selected to operate and maintain the United States country code Internet 
domain to establish, operate, and maintain a second-level domain within 
the United States country code domain that provides

[[Page 116 STAT. 2768]]

access only to material that is suitable for minors and not harmful to 
minors (in this section referred to as the `new domain').
    ``(b) Conditions of Contracts.--
            ``(1) Initial registry.--The NTIA shall not exercise any 
        option periods under any contract between the NTIA and the 
        initial registry to operate and maintain the United States 
        country code Internet domain unless the initial registry agrees, 
        during the 90-day period beginning upon the date of the 
        enactment of the Dot Kids Implementation and Efficiency Act of 
        2002, to carry out, and to operate the new domain in accordance 
        with, the requirements under subsection (c). Nothing in this 
        subsection shall be construed to prevent the initial registry of 
        the United States country code Internet domain from 
        participating in the NTIA's process for selecting a successor 
        registry or to prevent the NTIA from awarding, to the initial 
        registry, the contract to be successor registry subject to the 
        requirements of paragraph (2).
            ``(2) Successor registries.--The NTIA shall not enter into 
        any contract for operating and maintaining the United States 
        country code Internet domain with any successor registry unless 
        such registry enters into an agreement with the NTIA, during the 
        90-day period after selection of such registry, that provides 
        for the registry to carry out, and the new domain to operate in 
        accordance with, the requirements under subsection (c).

    ``(c) Requirements of New Domain.--The registry and new domain shall 
be subject to the following requirements:
            ``(1) Written content standards for the new domain, except 
        that the NTIA shall not have any authority to establish such 
        standards.
            ``(2) Written agreements with each registrar for the new 
        domain that require that use of the new domain is in accordance 
        with the standards and requirements of the registry.
            ``(3) Written agreements with registrars, which shall 
        require registrars to enter into written agreements with 
        registrants, to use the new domain in accordance with the 
        standards and requirements of the registry.
            ``(4) Rules and procedures for enforcement and oversight 
        that minimize the possibility that the new domain provides 
        access to content that is not in accordance with the standards 
        and requirements of the registry.
            ``(5) A process for removing from the new domain any content 
        that is not in accordance with the standards and requirements of 
        the registry.
            ``(6) A process to provide registrants to the new domain 
        with an opportunity for a prompt, expeditious, and impartial 
        dispute resolution process regarding any material of the 
        registrant excluded from the new domain.
            ``(7) Continuous and uninterrupted service for the new 
        domain during any transition to a new registry selected to 
        operate and maintain new domain or the United States country 
        code domain.
            ``(8) Procedures and mechanisms to promote the accuracy of 
        contact information submitted by registrants and retained by 
        registrars in the new domain.

[[Page 116 STAT. 2769]]

            ``(9) Operationality of the new domain not later than one 
        year after the date of the enactment of the Dot Kids 
        Implementation and Efficiency Act of 2002.
            ``(10) Written agreements with registrars, which shall 
        require registrars to enter into written agreements with 
        registrants, to prohibit two-way and multiuser interactive 
        services in the new domain, unless the registrant certifies to 
        the registrar that such service will be offered in compliance 
        with the content standards established pursuant to paragraph (1) 
        and is designed to reduce the risk of exploitation of minors 
        using such two-way and multiuser interactive services.
            ``(11) Written agreements with registrars, which shall 
        require registrars to enter into written agreements with 
        registrants, to prohibit hyperlinks in the new domain that take 
        new domain users outside of the new domain.
            ``(12) Any other action that the NTIA considers necessary to 
        establish, operate, or maintain the new domain in accordance 
        with the purposes of this section.

    ``(d) Option Periods for Initial Registry.--The NTIA shall grant the 
initial registry the option periods available under the contract between 
the NTIA and the initial registry to operate and maintain the United 
States country code Internet domain if, and may not grant such option 
periods unless, the NTIA finds that the initial registry has 
satisfactorily performed its obligations under this Act and under the 
contract. Nothing in this section shall preempt or alter the NTIA's 
authority to terminate such contract for the operation of the United 
States country code Internet domain for cause or for convenience.
    ``(e) Treatment of Registry and Other Entities.--
            ``(1) In general.--Only to the extent that such entities 
        carry out functions under this section, the following entities 
        are deemed to be interactive computer services for purposes of 
        section 230(c) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 
        230(c)):
                    ``(A) The registry that operates and maintains the 
                new domain.
                    ``(B) Any entity that contracts with such registry 
                to carry out functions to ensure that content accessed 
                through the new domain complies with the limitations 
                applicable to the new domain.
                    ``(C) Any registrar for the registry of the new 
                domain that is operating in compliance with its 
                agreement with the registry.
            ``(2) Savings provision.--Nothing in paragraph (1) shall be 
        construed to affect the applicability of any other provision of 
        title II of the Communications Act of 1934 to the entities 
        covered by subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) of paragraph (1).

    ``(f) Education.--The NTIA shall carry out a program to publicize 
the availability of the new domain and to educate the parents of minors 
regarding the process for utilizing the new domain in combination and 
coordination with hardware and software technologies that provide for 
filtering or blocking. <<NOTE: Deadline.>> The program under this 
subsection shall be commenced not later than 30 days after the date that 
the new domain first becomes operational and accessible by the public.

    ``(g) Coordination With Federal Government.--The registry selected 
to operate and maintain the new domain shall--

[[Page 116 STAT. 2770]]

            ``(1) consult with appropriate agencies of the Federal 
        Government regarding procedures and actions to prevent minors 
        and families who use the new domain from being targeted by 
        adults and other children for predatory behavior, exploitation, 
        or illegal actions; and
            ``(2) based upon the consultations conducted pursuant to 
        paragraph (1), establish such procedures and take such actions 
        as the registry may deem necessary to prevent such targeting.

The <<NOTE: Deadline.>> consultations, procedures, and actions required 
under this subsection shall be commenced not later than 30 days after 
the date that the new domain first becomes operational and accessible by 
the public.

    ``(h) Compliance <<NOTE: Deadline.>> Report.--The registry shall 
prepare, on an annual basis, a report on the registry's monitoring and 
enforcement procedures for the new domain. The registry shall submit 
each such report, setting forth the results of the review of its 
monitoring and enforcement procedures for the new domain, to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate.

    ``(i) Suspension of New Domain.--If the NTIA finds, pursuant to its 
own review or upon a good faith petition by the registry, that the new 
domain is not serving its intended purpose, the NTIA shall instruct the 
registry to suspend operation of the new domain until such time as the 
NTIA determines that the new domain can be operated as intended.
    ``(j) Definitions.--For purposes of this section, the following 
definitions shall apply:
            ``(1) Harmful to minors.--The term `harmful to minors' 
        means, with respect to material, that--
                    ``(A) the average person, applying contemporary 
                community standards, would find, taking the material as 
                a whole and with respect to minors, that it is designed 
                to appeal to, or is designed to pander to, the prurient 
                interest;
                    ``(B) the material depicts, describes, or 
                represents, in a manner patently offensive with respect 
                to minors, an actual or simulated sexual act or sexual 
                contact, an actual or simulated normal or perverted 
                sexual act, or a lewd exhibition of the genitals or 
                post-pubescent female breast; and
                    ``(C) taken as a whole, the material lacks serious, 
                literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for 
                minors.
            ``(2) Minor.--The term `minor' means any person under 13 
        years of age.
            ``(3) Registry.--The term `registry' means the registry 
        selected to operate and maintain the United States country code 
        Internet domain.
            ``(4) Successor registry.--The term `successor registry' 
        means any entity that enters into a contract with the NTIA to 
        operate and maintain the United States country code Internet 
        domain that covers any period after the termination or 
        expiration of the contract to operate and maintain the United 
        States country code Internet domain, and any option periods 
        under such contract, that was signed on October 26, 2001.
            ``(5) Suitable for minors.--The term `suitable for minors' 
        means, with respect to material, that it--

[[Page 116 STAT. 2771]]

                    ``(A) is not psychologically or intellectually 
                inappropriate for minors; and
                    ``(B) serves--
                          ``(i) the educational, informational, 
                      intellectual, or cognitive needs of minors; or
                          ``(ii) the social, emotional, or entertainment 
                      needs of minors.''.

    Approved December 4, 2002.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 3833:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

HOUSE REPORTS: No. 107-449 (Comm. on Energy and Commerce).
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 148 (2002):
            May 21, considered and passed House.
            Nov. 13, considered and passed Senate, amended.
            Nov. 14, House concurred in Senate amendment.
WEEKLY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS, Vol. 38 (2002):
            Dec. 4, Presidential remarks.

                                  <all>