I want to thank Chairman Tauzin for holding this markup of H.R. 3833, and congratulate the authors of the bill, Mr. Markey and Mr. Shimkus, for their fine work.

It is hard to believe that just a decade ago, most people had never heard of the Internet. The Web browser did not exist; there was no such thing as online shopping, banking, or education; and worldwide instant messaging to the palm of our hands was something only science fiction buffs imagined. We’ve come a long way in a very short time, and the Internet continues to change our lives every day.

But as with many great technological advances, the Internet is fraught with danger as well. Just a decade ago, we never contemplated that electronic stalkers would constantly prey on our children, or that vast amounts of obscene material would be so easily accessible to their impressionable minds.

Our homes, schools, and libraries always were considered safe havens for our children but, unfortunately, that is no longer true. While some kid-friendly Internet web sites exist today, they are too few and far between, and finding these sites without traversing a sea of pornography is no easy task.

Certainly children should not have to wander through a red light district to get to their school or playground in the physical world, and the Internet should be no different. H.R. 3833 will provide a much-needed detour around harmful content on the Web so kids can get to their destination easily and without dangerous distractions. By establishing a "dot-kids" domain, this legislation will create a virtual green-light district where children can finally reap the great potential of the Internet in a safe environment.

In recent years there were several unsuccessful attempts to create a kid-friendly top level domain similar to what we are considering today. Unfortunately, these attempts were rebuffed by ICANN, the international group responsible for assigning top level domain names. H.R. 3833 takes an innovative approach to dealing with ICANN’s recalcitrance. It simply sidesteps the ICANN process by creating a second level domain name under the "dot US" country code which will be entirely under the United States’ control.

ICANN’s inaction in this and other areas may be a blessing in disguise. By placing "dot kids" under the purview of the U.S. country code, it will be overseen by the Department of Commerce and will be subject to all U.S. laws. I hope and expect that this effort will become a model for rapidly expanding the number of useful domain names.

While the "dot kids" concept holds great promise to protect our children, I expressed some concerns at the subcommittee markup about the constitutionality of certain aspects of the bill. I want to thank the bill’s authors and Chairmen Tauzin and Upton for working with me since then to make some modifications that address these concerns. I believe that with your help we have now struck the right balance that will withstand constitutional muster.

Again, I want to congratulate Mr. Markey, Mr. Shimkus, Chairman Tauzin and Chairman Upton for their fine work in bringing this bill to Committee, and I am pleased to support it.