Saxby Chambliss response to letter concerning porn on web
June 29, 2006 Dear (Name Removed) Thank you for contacting me regarding your concerns about pornography on the internet. It is good to hear from you. As a father and a grandfather, I understand a parent's concern about their young children being exposed to graphic pictures of violence and explicit sexual content. And while I believe it is the responsibility of parents to make sure that children are not exposed to any kind of pornography, either via SPAM emails or available websites, parents must have the tools necessary to protect their children and we, in Congress, must pass meaningful legislation for those that violate decency rules that are set in place. The "CAN-SPAM Act of 2003" (P.L. 108-187), of which I was a cosponsor, was signed into law on December 16, 2003. This law will regulate interstate commerce by imposing limitations and penalties on the transmission of unsolicited commercial electronic mail via the Internet. This legislation sets forth the determination of Congress that: (1) there is a substantial government interest in regulation of unsolicited commercial electronic mail, "spam"; (2) senders of spam should not mislead recipients as to the source or content of such mail; and (3) recipients of spam have a right to decline to receive additional spam from the same source. Also, there are several laws that have been passed, including the 1996 Communications Decency Act, the 1998 Child Online Protection Act, and the 2000 Children's Internet Protection Act that help to regulate the potential for children viewing unsuitable material on the internet. Congress also passed the Dot Kids Act (P.L. 107-317), which creates a kid friendly space on the Internet, and the Amber Alert Act (P.L. 108-21), which prohibits the use of misleading domain names to deceive a minor into viewing material that is harmful to minors. Congress is currently considering legislation (H.R. 2883) related to pornography on peer-to-peer networks, and to expand the scope of the Amber Alert Act to include meta tags utilized in internet searches (H.R. 4305). As a United States Senator, I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure that children are protected from any kind of unsuitable material. Thank you again for taking the time to contact me. If you would like to receive timely email alerts regarding the latest congressional actions and my weekly e-newsletter, please sign up via my web site at: www.chambliss.senate.gov. Please do not hesitate to be in touch if I may ever be of assistance to you. Sincerely, Saxby Chambliss United States Senate