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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