Issue Position: Internet

Issue Position

The Internet is a great resource for students and children, but it is intolerable that while a child is working on school projects they also receive unwanted inappropriate advances. I was pleased the Supreme Court, on June 23rd, 2003, upheld the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA). This legislation, which became law in December 2000, requires that public libraries install filters to block pornographic sites on computers paid for with federal funds. This is a small victory in the ongoing war of restricting children's access to such sites.

Despite the dangers the Internet serves to children, it also serves a very useful purpose by providing unprecedented resources for learning, entertainment, business and commerce, and communication through electronic mail. Users of the Internet can do everything from taking virtual tours of museums and viewing art, to conducting all of their Christmas shopping. I will continue to do all that I can to ensure that our freedom of speech is protected, while providing common sense parental controls to keep innocent children away from pornographic web sites.

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