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HR 1748 105th Congress House

Netizens Protection Act of 1997

Official title: To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to ban the transmission of unsolicited advertisements by electronic mail, and to require that sender identification inf… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to ban the transmission of unsolicited advertisements by electronic mail, and to require that sender identification information be included with electronic mail messages.

Introduced: May 22, 1997 Introduced by: Smith, Christopher H. Republican · New Jersey See on congress.gov
Science, Technology, Communications AdvertisingCommerceComputer networksConsumer protection
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DamagesDirect mail advertisingElectronic mail systemsGovernment Operations and PoliticsGovernment paperworkIdentification devicesInteractive mediaLaw
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This bill died when the 105th Congress ended
It never became law before the 105th Congress (1997–1998) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 4 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jun 2, 1997
Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and Consumer Protection.
May 22, 1997
Referred to the House Committee on Commerce.
May 22, 1997
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E1014)
May 22, 1997
Introduced in House
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 Latest action June 2, 1997

Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and Consumer Protection.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Netizens Protection Act of 1997 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to make it unlawful for any person within the United States to use any computer or other electronic device to send an unsolicited advertisement to an electronic mail address: (1) of an individual with whom the sender lacks a preexisting and ongoing business or personal relationship, unless such individual provides express invitation or permission; or (2) unless the sender clearly provides, at the beginning of the advertisement, the date and time of the message, the identity of the business, entity, or individual sending the message, and the sender's return electronic mail address.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
 Cosponsors 1
All 1 Independent 1
I
Sanders, Bernard
Vermont · Jul 10, 1997
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 1748: Netizens Protection Act of 1997. 105th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/105-HR-1748/
MLA
"H.R. 1748: Netizens Protection Act of 1997." 105th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/105-HR-1748/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 1748, 105th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/105-HR-1748/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 1748: Netizens Protection Act of 1997](https://openamerica.io/bill/105-HR-1748/)
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