Information Technology Acts Paper
Corey Turner
Bis/220
3/22/2012
Instructor Stephanie Benoit-Kurtz

The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) is a federal law enacted by congress to address concerns about of offensive content over the Internet on school and library computers. CIPA imposes requirements on schools and libraries the receive funding for Internet access or internal connections from the E-rate program, a program that makes some types of communications technology affordable for schools and libraries whom are eligible. The CIPA offers the E-rate discounts to schools that certify that they have an Internet safety policy that includes technology protection measures. The protection measures required must block or filter the Internet access to pictures that are obscene, child pornography, or pictures considered harmful to minors. The schools are also required to implement a policy to monitor online activities of minors. Access by minors to inappropriate matter on the internet and the safety and security of minors when using e-mail, chat rooms and other forms of direct electronic communications must be adopted and implemented by the schools and libraries subject to CIPA. The Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984 (CCPA) is a public law that protects the personal information of customers of cable service providers. It incorporates provisions of the OECD Privacy Guidelines of 1980, and as such provides a comprehensive privacy statute. The CCPA ensures that the cable companies must provide a written notice of privacy practices to each customer at the time of subscribing for their services and at least once a year thereafter. The privacy notice must specify; the nature of the personal info collected and the purpose for which it is collected, the nature, frequency and purpose of any disclosures that may be made of said information, including the identity of the persons to whom those disclosures may be made, how long the info may be kept by the cable service provider. Where and how long the subscriber may have access to the info about themselves, and the subscribers right to bring legal action if the regulations are not followed. In short the cable companies must receive written or electronic consent from the subscriber before collecting any personal info. After the cable company has no purpose for the personal information collected the information must be destroyed. The law protects the consumers from the cable companies hitting them with hidden fees and selling their information to third party entities.

References
http://www.fcc.gov/guides/childrens-internet-protection-act