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SENATOR WYDEN STATEMENT ON KIDS’ TIER ANNOUNCEMENT
BY MAJOR CABLE OPERATORS
December 16, 2005
Washington, DC – U.S. Senator
Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who introduced legislation earlier this year
to require cable television and satellite operators to offer a
“kid-friendly” tier of television programming, spoke
on the Senate floor today reacting to the announcement this week
that six major cable operators would offer such a tier of programming
in 2006. In April, Wyden introduced the Kid-Friendly TV Programming
Act of 2005, which strikes a balance between requiring providers
to offer child-friendly television and limiting government regulation
of television content across-the-board by giving parents the chance
to subscribe to the youth programming tier. An unofficial transcript
of Senator Wyden’s remarks follows below.
Statement of U.S. Senator Ron Wyden
on Kids-Tier Television Programming Announcement
MR. PRESIDENT, AS THE SESSION WINDS
DOWN FOR THIS YEAR, I WANTED TO TAKE A FEW MINUTES AND BRING TO
THE ATTENTION OF THE SENATE A NEW DEVELOPMENT THAT I THINK WILL
BE OF GREAT INTEREST TO MILLIONS OF PARENTS AND FAMILIES ACROSS
THE COUNTRY.
AS THE DISTINGUISHED PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE KNOWS FROM OUR SERVICE
IN THE OTHER BODY, PARENTS ARE GREATLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE FACT
THAT THEIR CHILDREN ARE BOMBARDED EVERY DAY WITH OBSCENE, INDECENT,
PROFANE, AND VIOLENT ENTERTAINMENT ON TELEVISION. AND PARENTS
COME UP TO US AS LEGISLATORS AND SAY, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO
TO STOP THIS TRASH? WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO TO STOP THIS INDECENT
PROGRAMMING OUR CHILDREN ARE SUBJECTED TO?
NOW, OF COURSE, WE ALL WISH IN AN IDEAL WORLD THAT PARENTS WOULD
TAKE THE MOST DIRECT KIND OF ACTION WHICH WAS SIMPLY TO TURN OFF
THE SET AND THAT'S SOMETHING, OF COURSE, THAT CAN BE DONE WITHOUT
ANY ROLE OF GOVERNMENT.
BUT WITH BOTH PARENTS WORKING TWO
JOBS EACH TO TRY TO KEEP UP, THAT'S NOT GOING TO ALWAYS BE POSSIBLE.
AND SO AS I BEGAN TO LOOK AT THIS ISSUE, I ASKED, WHAT MIGHT GOVERNMENT
POSSIBLY DO IN THIS AREA TO BETTER PROTECT OUR KIDS FROM INDECENT
PROGRAMMING ON TELEVISION AND DO IT IN A WAY THAT WOULD NOT HAVE
SOME BIG GOVERNMENT, BIG BUREAUCRACY KIND OF PROGRAM, SOME KIND
OF ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL APPROACH OR SOMETHING WHERE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
WOULD, IN EFFECT, REGULATE THE CONTENT OF THE PROGRAMS THAT COME
OVER OUR TELEVISION SET THAT ARE SUBJECTED TO OUR CHILDREN.
SO AS I BEGAN THE SEARCH IN THIS EFFORT TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT A
RESPONSIBLE APPROACH TO THE QUESTION OF INDECENT PROGRAMMING FOR
CHILDREN, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I FOUND EARLY ON IS THAT IF YOU'RE
INTERESTED IN SPORTS PROGRAMMING OR YOU'RE INTERESTED IN MOVIES
PRIMARILY, THE CABLE COMPANIES AND THE BIG TELEVISION PROGRAMMERS
IN EFFECT HAVE SET UP A SPECIAL TIER OF PROGRAMMING FOR THOSE
PEOPLE THAT ARE INTERESTED IN SPORTS AND THOSE PEOPLE THAT ARE
INTERESTED IN MOVIES. AND I LOOKED AT IT AND FOUND THAT THE CABLE
COMPANIES IN PARTICULAR HAD ESSENTIALLY DONE THIS.
THEY SEEM TO HAVE FOUND A WAY TO DO THAT THE SUBSCRIBERS LIKE
AND THAT WAS POSSIBLE FOR THEM TO BE PROFITABLE WITH. AND I SAID
TO MYSELF, IF THAT KIND OF APPROACH WORKS FOR SPORTS FANS AND
MOVIE FANS, WHY CAN'T WE DO IT FOR PARENTS AND FAMILIES AS WELL?
WHY CAN'T WE HAVE A SPECIAL TIER OF PROGRAMMING THAT'S KID FRIENDLY,
THAT WORKS FOR FAMILIES AND PARENTS JUST THE WAY WE HAVE THIS
KIND OF SPECIAL PROGRAMMING FOR SPORTS AND MOVIES?
SO EARLIER IN THIS SESSION, I INTRODUCED THE KID FRIENDLY TV PROGRAMMING
ACT WHICH WOULD REQUIRE ALL VIDEO SERVICE PROVIDERS TO IMPLEMENT
A KID FRIENDLY TIER OF TELEVISION PROGRAMMING.
IN MY BILL, A KIDS TIER IS DEFINED AS A GROUP OF 15 OR MORE TELEVISION
STATIONS BLOCKED OFF IN A SEPARATE CHANNEL AREA WITH BOTH PROGRAMMING
AND COMMERCIALS ON IT THAT ARE PURELY KID FRIENDLY. PARENTS WOULD
BE ABLE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THIS BLOCK OF STATIONS SEPARATE FROM THE
REGULAR PROGRAMMING KNOWING THE PROGRAMMING ON THEIR TELEVISION
WILL NOT CARRY MATERIAL THAT IS INAPPROPRIATE FOR KIDS DUE TO
OBSCENE, INDECENT, PROFANE, SEXUAL OR GRATUITOUS VIOLENCE AND
INAPPROPRIATE CONTENT.
IN INTRODUCING THE LEGISLATION, MR. PRESIDENT, I WAS STRUCK BY
THE FACT THAT IT SEEMED TO HIT THE CRITERIA THAT WERE MOST IMPORTANT
TO ME. MORE WHOLESOME CHOICES FOR PARENTS AND FAMILIES BUT NOT
A ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL GOVERNMENT MANDATE AND IN EFFECT THE GOVERNMENT
WOULD PUT THE FOCUS WHERE IT OUGHT TO BE, WHICH IS TO GIVE PARENTS
A BLOCK OR A TIER OF CHANNELS THAT WOULD BE SEPARATE FROM REGULAR
PROGRAMMING AND WHERE THERE WOULDN'T BE MATERIAL INAPPROPRIATE
FOR OUR CHILDREN.
AFTER I PUT THAT LEGISLATION IN,
CHAIRMAN STEVENS OF THE COMMERCE COMMITTEE AND THE RANKING MINORITY
MEMBER, SENATOR INOUYE, ALSO MADE AN IMPORTANT EFFORT IN TERMS
OF A ROUND-TABLE DISCUSSION WITH RESPECT TO THIS PROBLEM OF INDECENCY
AND I THINK PROVIDED SOME VERY VALUABLE EXPOSURE FOR THE ISSUE.
I WANT TO EXPRESS MY APPRECIATION TO THEM FOR THEIR LEADERSHIP
ON THIS MATTER. I ALSO WANT TO EXPRESS MY APPRECIATION TO THE
CHAIRMAN OF THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION, KEVIN MARTIN,
WHO HAS DISCUSSED THIS ISSUE WITH ME ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS,
AND AT THE FORUM THAT WAS HELD ON INDECENT PROGRAMMING WHERE HE
CAME OUT AND SAID ESSENTIALLY THE SAME THING IN MY BILL, THAT
A KIDS TIER PROGRAMMING WOULD BE A RESPONSIBLE, PRACTICAL WAY
TO MAKE SURE THAT THE NATION'S CHILDREN HAD MORE WHOLESOME CHOICES
WITH RESPECT TO TELEVISION PROGRAMMING.
SO SPURRED BY THOSE EFFORTS, THE LEGISLATION, THE WORK OF CHAIRMAN
MARTIN, THE GOOD BIPARTISAN WORK DONE BY SENATOR STEVENS AND SENATOR
INOUYE, THIS WEEK THE CABLE INDUSTRY TOOK A SMALL STEP IN THE
RIGHT DIRECTION WHEN SIX CABLE COMPANIES, INCLUDING TIME WARNER
AND COMCAST, ANNOUNCED THAT THEY PLAN TO OFFER A KIDS TIER OF
PROGRAMMING IN 2006. SO HAVING LISTENED FOR MONTHS AND MONTHS
TO ARGUMENTS THAT, OH, IF WE HAVE THIS KIDS TIER, IT'S NOT GOING
TO BE PROFITABLE AND COMING TO UNDERSTAND IT WAS TIME TO GET SERIOUS
ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, THERE WAS AT LEAST A BEGINNING.
NOW YESTERDAY TIME WARNER RELEASED THE DETAILS OF THEIR KIDS OFFERING.
NOW WHILE I WAS PLEASED TO SEE THAT THEIR PROPOSAL INCLUDED G-RATED
STATIONS THAT RUN CHILD-FRIENDLY CONTENT 24 HOURS A DAY, IT WAS
UNCLEAR WHAT WOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE PACKAGE THAT PARENTS MUST
PURCHASE IN ORDER TO PURCHASE KIDS TIER.
PARENTS MAY STILL HAVE TO SUBCRIBE TO STATIONS THAT HAVE VIOLENCE
AND INAPPROPRIATE SEXUAL CONTENT IN ORDER TO GET THE KIDS TIER.
THAT'S NOT WHAT MY LEGISLATION CALLED FOR AT ALL. IT SAID WE HAD
TO HAVE ALTERNATIVES TO THE KIND OF INAPPROPRIATE PROGRAMMING
THAT IS OUT THERE NOW. BUT IN ORDER TO SUBSCRIBE TO TIME WARNER'S
KIDS TIER, FAMILIES MIGHT ALSO HAVE TO SUBSCRIBE TO TIME WARNER'S
STANDARD OFFERING WHICH WITHOUT GOING INTO IT, MR. PRESIDENT,
CERTAINLY CAN INCLUDE INAPPROPRIATE PROGRAMMING FOR CHILDREN.
NOW I'M PLEASED THAT I CAN SAY ON THE FLOOR OF UNITED STATES SENATE
THAT AT LEAST THE INDUSTRY HAS RECOGNIZED THE NEED FOR A KIDS
TIER OF CABLE PROGRAMMING ACROSS OUR COUNTRY.
NOW FOR A LONG TIME, WHENEVER I BROUGHT THIS UP THEY BASICALLY
SAID OH, WESTERN CIVILIZATION IS GOING TO END WITH THIS KIND OF
PROGRAMMING THAT MEETS THE NEEDS OF PARENTS AND FAMILIES. AT LEAST
WE'VE SEEN SOME BABY STEPS TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE.
BUT WHAT IS REALLY NEEDED ISN'T
ANY DIFFERENT, MR. PRESIDENT, THAN WHAT PARENTS HAVE AT THE CANDY-FREE
CHECKOUT LANE AT THE SUPERMARKET. PARENTS SHOULDN'T HAVE TO TAKE
THEIR KIDS PAST THE CANDY TO CHECK OUT AND PARENTS SHOULDN'T BE
FORCED TO EXPOSE THEIR KIDS TO OBSCENE PROGRAMS JUST TO GET PROGRAMS
THAT ARE APPROPRIATE.
SO, I THINK THAT IN THE DAYS AHEAD I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT CHILDREN
ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE ACCESS TO KIND
OF GOOD-QUALITY PROGRAMMING, THAT KIDS TIER IS IMPLEMENTED PROPERLY
AND THAT IT DOESN'T JUST DEPEND ON WHICH COMMUNITY YOU'RE IN.
WHILE A FAMILY IN PORTLAND IN MY HOME STATE WOULD HAVE A KIDS
TIER AVAILABLE TO THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE SERVED BY COMCAST, A FAMILY
IN PENDELTON OR HOOD RIVER WOULD NOT HAVE IT BECAUSE THEY RECEIVE
THEIR CABLE THROUGH A DIFFERENT COMPANY. SO UNTIL THIS IS APPLICABLE
ACROSS THE COUNTRY WITH EVERY VIDEO SERVICE PROVIDER, IT SEEMS
TO ME THE JOB WON'T BE DONE. MY LEGISLATION REQUIRED THAT ALL
VIDEO SERVICE PROVIDERS INSTITUTE A KIDS TIER. I WANT TO MAKE
SURE THAT FAMILIES GET THIS OPTION.
SO IT IS MY INTENT, MR. PRESIDENT, TO WATCH VERY CLOSELY TO THE
DEVELOPMENTS THAT WE HAVE SEEN IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS WITH
RESPECT TO TIME WARNER. I'M VERY APPRECIATIVE OF WHAT CHAIRMAN
MARTIN HAS DONE IN THIS AREA BECAUSE I THINK IT HAS GIVEN GREAT
VISIBILITY TO THE QUESTION OF IMPROVING CHILDREN'S PROGRAMMING.
BUT I WILL SAY, MR. PRESIDENT, AND I SEE SENATOR PRYOR HERE AS
WELL WHO HAS DONE EXCELLENT WORK ON THE COMMERCE COMMITTEE, BEEN
VERY INTERESTED IN THIS ISSUE OF INDECENT PROGRAMMING FOR CHILDREN,
THAT IT'S MY INTENT IF WE DON'T SEE THIS KIND OF KID-FRIENDLY
PROGRAMMING, A TIER OF KID-FRIENDLY PROGRAMMING DONE RIGHT ACROSS
THIS COUNTRY, I'M GOING TO COME BACK TO THE SENATE AND PUSH FOR
MY OTHER LEGISLATION.
WE'VE TAKEN SOME BABY STEPS NOW IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION BUT THERE
IS STILL A GREAT DEAL TO DO AND IT'S IMPORTANT WITH MILLIONS OF
KIDS BEING EXPOSED TO THIS INDECENT, PROFANE AND VIOLENT PROGRAMMING.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO DO THIS JOB RIGHT AND THE SENATE OUGHT TO STAY
AT IT ON A BIPARTISAN BASIS UNTIL IT'S DONE.
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