SAFER NET Act

Safeguarding America's Families by Enhancing and Reorganizing New and Efficient Technologies Act of 2006 or the SAFER NET Act - Requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to establish an Office of Internet Safety and Public Awareness to be headed by a Director.

Requires the FTC, acting through the Office, to carry out a nationwide program to increase public awareness and education regarding Internet safety, that utilizes existing resources and efforts of all levels of government and other appropriate entities and that includes: (1) evaluating and improving the efficiency of Internet safety efforts provided by such entities; (2) identifying and promoting best practices; (3) establishing and carrying out a national outreach and education campaign; (4) serving as the primary contact in the federal government and as a national clearinghouse for Internet safety information; (5) facilitating access to, and the exchange of, such information; (6) providing expert advice to the FTC; and (7) providing technical, financial, and other appropriate assistance to such entities.

[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4982 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4982

To improve public awareness in the United States regarding safe use of 
the Internet through the establishment of an Office of Internet Safety 
       and Public Awareness within the Federal Trade Commission.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 16, 2006

   Ms. Bean introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To improve public awareness in the United States regarding safe use of 
the Internet through the establishment of an Office of Internet Safety 
       and Public Awareness within the Federal Trade Commission.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Safeguarding America's Families by 
Enhancing and Reorganizing New and Efficient Technologies Act of 2006'' 
or the ``SAFER NET Act''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE.

    The Federal Trade Commission shall establish an Office of Internet 
Safety and Public Awareness, which shall have responsibility for 
programs and activities relating to increasing public awareness and 
providing education regarding Internet safety.

SEC. 3. DIRECTOR.

    The Office shall be headed by a Director who shall be appointed by 
the Commission.

SEC. 4. INTERNET SAFETY.

    For purposes of this Act, the issue of Internet safety includes 
issues regarding use of the Internet in a manner that promotes safe 
online activity, including safe transactions involved in online 
commerce, and protects against threats to financial information and 
privacy, threats from cyber-crime, and threats to juveniles, including 
cyber-predators and material that is inappropriate for minors.

SEC. 5. DUTIES.

    (a) Activities.--The Commission, acting through the Office, shall 
carry out a nationwide program to increase public awareness and 
education regarding Internet safety, for families, businesses, 
organizations, and other users, that utilizes existing resources and 
efforts of the Federal Government, State and local governments, 
nonprofit organizations, private technology and financial companies, 
Internet service providers, World Wide Web-based resources, and other 
appropriate entities, that includes--
            (1) evaluating Internet safety efforts and activities 
        provided at various levels of government and by other entities;
            (2) improving efficiency of Internet safety efforts and 
        activities, by eliminating redundancy of efforts at various 
        levels of government and other entities, identifying, 
        promoting, and expanding effective such efforts and activities 
        and coordinating among such efforts and activities;
            (3) identifying, promoting, and encouraging best practices 
        for Internet safety;
            (4) establishing and carrying out a national outreach and 
        education campaign regarding Internet safety utilizing various 
        media and Internet-based resources;
            (5) serving as the primary contact in the Federal 
        Government, and as a national clearinghouse, for information 
        and public awareness efforts regarding Internet safety;
            (6) facilitating access to, and the exchange of, 
        information regarding Internet safety to promote up-to-date 
        knowledge regarding current issues;
            (7) providing expert advice and consultation to the 
        Commission regarding Internet safety issues; and
            (8) providing assistance, including technical assistance 
        and financial assistance under subsection (c), to States, units 
        of local government, schools, police departments, non-profit 
        organizations, and such other entities as the Office considers 
        appropriate to promote Internet safety education and public 
        awareness.
    (b) Grants and Contracts.--
            (1) Authority.--In carrying out subsection (b), the 
        Commission, acting through the Office, may make grants, to the 
        extent amounts are provided in advance in appropriation Acts 
        for such grants, to, and enter into cooperative agreements, 
        contracts, and interagency agreements with States, units of 
        local government, schools, police departments, non-profit 
        organizations, and such other public and private agencies, 
        entities, and organizations as the Office considers 
        appropriate.
            (2) Evaluation.--The Commission, acting through the Office, 
        shall provide for evaluations of projects and activities 
        carried out with financial assistance provided under paragraph 
        (1) and for the dissemination of information developed as a 
        result of such projects.

SEC. 6. ANNUAL REPORTS.

    The Commission, acting through the Office, shall submit a report 
not later than March 31 of each year that--
            (1) describes the activities of the Office during the 
        preceding calendar year;
            (2) contains any evaluations performed pursuant to 
        subsection (c)(2) for any projects and activities carried out 
        during the preceding calendar with assistance under subsection 
        (c)(1);
            (3) describes and analyzes the current state, as of the 
        preparation of such report, of Internet safety, existing and 
        emerging threats to Internet safety, and costs to the economy 
        of the United States resulting from preventing, responding to, 
        eliminating, and otherwise dealing with threats to Internet 
        safety.

SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act, the following definitions shall apply:
            (1) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Federal 
        Trade Commission.
            (2) Internet.--The term ``Internet'' means collectively the 
        myriad of computer and telecommunications facilities, including 
        equipment and operating software, which comprise the 
        interconnected world-wide network of networks that employ the 
        Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, or any 
        predecessor or successor protocols to such protocol, to 
        communicate information of all kinds by wire or radio.
            (3) Office.--The term ``Office'' means the Office of 
        Internet Safety and Public Awareness of the Federal Trade 
        Commission, established by section 2.
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