CIPA compliance is required for any school or library receiving E-Rate funding for Internet access, internal connections, or basic maintenance. Recipients of only Telecommunications services are exempt from E-Rate CIPA compliance.

Networkmaine consortium members submit an FCC Form 479 to the consortium certifying compliance in order for the consortium to submit an FCC Form 486.

Applicants filing their own FCC Form 471 certify their compliance on their own FCC Form 486.

CIPA compliance entails the following:

1. Internet filtering technology protection measure
2. Internet safety policy
3. Public notice of and public meeting adopting the Internet safety policy

A technology protection measure (e.g. Internet filtering software) must be in place to block or filter Internet access.

The protection measure must protect against access by adults and minors to visual depictions that are:

• obscene
• child pornography
• harmful to minors (with respect to the use of computers with Internet access by minors)

The determination of what matter is considered inappropriate for minors is a local decision to be made by the school, district, or school board. The protection measure may be disabled for adults engaged in bona fide research or other lawful purposes.

Retain documentation of the technology protection measure (e.g. bills from a service provider or filter logs) for at least 10 years.

The Internet safety policy must address the following issues:

• Access by minors to inappropriate matter on the Internet and World Wide Web
• The safety and security of minors when using electronic mail, chat rooms, and other forms of direct electronic communications
• Unauthorized access including "hacking" and other unlawful activities by minors online
• Unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal information regarding minors
• Measures designed to restrict minors' access to materials harmful to minors
• [schools only] Measures to monitor the online activities of minors
• [schools only] Education for minors about appropriate online behavior, including interacting with other individuals on social networking websites and in chat rooms and cyberbullying awareness and response

Retain a copy of the policy (with the adoption date listed on it) for at least 10 years after the funding year in which it was relied on to obtain E-Rate funding.

The authority with responsibility for administration of the school must provide reasonable public notice and hold at least one public hearing to discuss and vote to adopt a proposed technology protection measure and Internet safety policy.

Retain documentation of both public notice (e.g. flyer or newspaper notice) and the hearing or meeting itself (e.g. agenda and minutes) for at least 10 years after the funding year in which it was relied on to obtain E-Rate funding.

Save the following documentation:

• A copy of the approved Internet Safety Policy
• Notice of public hearing or public meeting (such as a school board meeting) where CIPA policy was considered and voted upon
• Agenda and minutes for meeting that shows the opportunity for public input/comment before adoption of CIPA policy
• Filtering records, proof of payment for the filtering measure
• Documentation of cyberbullying / appropriate online behavior education for all minors

Download the printable references below for information regarding CIPA compliance.

Resource
CIPA Requirements for Schools
CIPA Requirements for Libraries