Deleting Online Predators Act of 2006
Key claim: Schools and libraries that receive federal internet subsidies would have to block commercial social networking sites and chat rooms except for supervised educational use, and the FCC would warn the public about online predators.
Abstract
(HR5319 · 109th Congress) Deleting Online Predators Act of 2006 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require schools and libraries that receive universal service support to enforce a policy that: (1) prohibits access to a commercial social networking website or chat room unless used for an educational purpose with adult supervision; and (2) protects against access to visual depictions that are obscene, child pornography, or harmful to minors. Allows an administrator, supervisor, or other authorized person to disable such a technology protection measure during use by an adult, or by minors with adult supervision, to enable access for educational purposes. Directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to: (1) issue a consumer alert regarding use of the Internet by child predators and the potential dangers to children because of such use, including the potential dangers of commercial social networking websites and chat rooms; and (2) establish a website resource of information for parents, teachers, school administrators, and others regarding potential dangers posed by the use of the Internet by children. Latest action (2006-07-27): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Why this matters
DOPA is an early example of Congress trying to leverage E-Rate subsidies to shape what students and library patrons can access online, extending the CIPA filtering model from obscene content to social networking and chat platforms. Although it passed the House 410-15 in 2006 and never became law, it set a template for later proposals tying federal school and library funding to platform-level access restrictions.