Education and Technology

Students will be required to learn about internet safety, appropriate online behavior, and cyber bullying. Schools receiving e-Rate discounts on their telecommunications services and internet access soon will have to educate their students about online safety, sexual predators, and cyber bullying, thanks to federal legislation passed in both the Senate and the House.

The Broadband Data Improvement Act (S.1492), sponsored by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, requires the Federal Trade Commission to carry out a national public awareness program focused on educating children how to use the internet in safe and responsible ways. The legislation also establishes an "Online Safety and Technology Working Group" charged with evaluating online safety education efforts, parental control technologies, filtering and blocking software, and more.