Edalgiere
New member
By Jeremy Pelofsky
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The U.S. cable industry should do more to promote safeguards they offer for parents who want to protect their children from indecent content as one way to prevent regulation, congressional aides said on Sunday.
Congress is weighing whether to apply broadcast television and radio decency standards -- which limit explicit sexual content and extensive profanity to late night hours -- on subscription television and radio services offered by companies like Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Inc.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens, an Alaska Republican, spent Sunday meeting privately with top cable executives during the industry's annual convention and one aide said he was still "considering his options," referring to potential legislative remedies.
"What he wants to do is get (cable's) attention," said Christine Kurth, deputy staff director to Stevens, during a panel discussion at the convention. "He wants to make it as easy as possible for a mother to have this blocking technology."
"Also to have ratings ... easier for folks to understand is something he's interested in," she said. She said consumers should not have to pry information out of the companies.
While Stevens wants voluntary steps, Kurth said that he also would consider legislation if he decided cable operators were not doing enough.
Cable operators have argued that they are protected by free speech rights since consumers pay to receive cable television. Because of this, they contend that decency standards do not apply to them.
Still, they have been promoting efforts to educate parents about their options, including blocking channels consumers do not want to receive -- though they still must pay for them which has raised some objections.
The National Cable & Telecommunications Association, the industry's lobbying organization, said 3.7 million public service announcements about options were aired last year.
"We do feel as an industry that we have addressed it or attempted to address it," said Steve Berry, an NCTA lobbyist.
Content on television and radio received renewed attention after pop singer Janet Jackson exposed her breast on national television during the 2004 Super Bowl football halftime show.
Lawmakers were already considering legislation to hike fines to as much as $500,000 per incident and Stevens has indicated he was open to adding provisions that would apply broadcast decency standards to cable and satellite services.
He also has said he was interested in a family-friendly package of channels being offered. Approximately 85 percent of U.S. households get their television from cable and some argue few can distinguish between broadcast and subscription channels.
An aide to House Energy and Commerce Committee member Rep. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, said cable operators need to do more than just include an Internet site address on consumer bills giving information about blocking unsavory content.
"If the industry promoted these parental controls in the same way it promoted a new show, you'd have a consumer acceptance of those technological tools," said Markey aide Colin Crowell.
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The U.S. cable industry should do more to promote safeguards they offer for parents who want to protect their children from indecent content as one way to prevent regulation, congressional aides said on Sunday.
Congress is weighing whether to apply broadcast television and radio decency standards -- which limit explicit sexual content and extensive profanity to late night hours -- on subscription television and radio services offered by companies like Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Inc.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens, an Alaska Republican, spent Sunday meeting privately with top cable executives during the industry's annual convention and one aide said he was still "considering his options," referring to potential legislative remedies.
"What he wants to do is get (cable's) attention," said Christine Kurth, deputy staff director to Stevens, during a panel discussion at the convention. "He wants to make it as easy as possible for a mother to have this blocking technology."
"Also to have ratings ... easier for folks to understand is something he's interested in," she said. She said consumers should not have to pry information out of the companies.
While Stevens wants voluntary steps, Kurth said that he also would consider legislation if he decided cable operators were not doing enough.
Cable operators have argued that they are protected by free speech rights since consumers pay to receive cable television. Because of this, they contend that decency standards do not apply to them.
Still, they have been promoting efforts to educate parents about their options, including blocking channels consumers do not want to receive -- though they still must pay for them which has raised some objections.
The National Cable & Telecommunications Association, the industry's lobbying organization, said 3.7 million public service announcements about options were aired last year.
"We do feel as an industry that we have addressed it or attempted to address it," said Steve Berry, an NCTA lobbyist.
Content on television and radio received renewed attention after pop singer Janet Jackson exposed her breast on national television during the 2004 Super Bowl football halftime show.
Lawmakers were already considering legislation to hike fines to as much as $500,000 per incident and Stevens has indicated he was open to adding provisions that would apply broadcast decency standards to cable and satellite services.
He also has said he was interested in a family-friendly package of channels being offered. Approximately 85 percent of U.S. households get their television from cable and some argue few can distinguish between broadcast and subscription channels.
An aide to House Energy and Commerce Committee member Rep. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, said cable operators need to do more than just include an Internet site address on consumer bills giving information about blocking unsavory content.
"If the industry promoted these parental controls in the same way it promoted a new show, you'd have a consumer acceptance of those technological tools," said Markey aide Colin Crowell.
