After the Supreme Court's decision that the Child Internet Protection Act (CIPA) (2000), which required school and public libraries to place filtering technology on all of their computers, was constitutional, public libraries have had to make the decision whether to filter Internet usage or forego federal funds. Although many libraries cannot afford to offer Internet service without the government money in the form of E-rate and LSTA funding which assists libraries in both purchasing computers and paying for Internet access, many libraries, such as the public facilities in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, have chosen not to filter, relying on local and state funding to maintain services.
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