Given the diversity of the information carried on the Internet, student access to inappropriate material is a major concern of many parents and teachers. Moreover, under the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA), no school may receive E-rate10 discounts unless it certifies that it is enforcing a policy of Internet safety that includes the use of filtering or blocking technology11.
10 The Education rate (E-rate) program was established in 1996 to make services, Internet access, and internal connections available to schools and libraries at discounted rates based upon the income level of the students in their community and whether their location is urban or rural.
11 More information about CIPA (Pub. L. No 106-554) can be found at the Web site of the Schools and Libraries Division (SLD), Universal Service Administrative Company (http://www.sl.universalservice.org/reference/CIPA.asp). The law is effective for Funding Year 4 (July 1, 2001, to June 30, 2002) and for all future years. Schools and libraries receiving only telecommunications services are excluded from the requirements of CIPA.
12 An intranet is a controlled computer network similar to the Internet, but accessible only to those who have permission to use it. For example, school administrators can restrict student access to only their school's intranet, which may include information from the Internet chosen by school officials