Posted July 3, 2003.

FCC, IMLS to Issue CIPA Guidelines;
ALA Plans to Meet with Filter-Makers

A week after the Supreme Court declared the Children’s Internet Protection Act constitutional, the Federal Communications Commission alerted the library community that it would soon publish “guidance on a reasonable schedule for libraries to acquire and install filtering software consistent with their certification obligations under CIPA.” The FCC Public Notice explained that the schedule would be available after July 18, the earliest date on which CIPA could become effective.

According to Claudette Tennant of the American Library Association’s Office for Information Technology Policy in Washington, the FCC was “trying its best to be reasonable and yet follow the letter and spirit of the law.” CIPA contains a provision mandating that all libraries receiving the e-rate must install filtering software within 120 days of the law’s passage.

Additionally, the Institute of Museum and Library Services has promised to offer guidance to state library agencies by August 1, according to ALA’s CIPA-update web page.

Coming at the issues from another angle, ALA has scheduled an August 14 briefing with filter manufacturers at its Washington Office. Judith Krug, director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, told American Libraries that key library representatives will be invited to attend. Krug characterized the meeting as an opportunity to tell filter-makers how to gain “our support” by making their software’s blocking mechanisms “transparent” and adding a disabling feature to allow librarians to toggle blocking software off at the request of filter-averse adult patrons.

Posted July 3, 2003.