[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 607 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 607

      To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to provide for the 
 implementation of systems for rating the specific content of specific 
                          television programs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 17, 1997

   Mr. Coats introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
      To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to provide for the 
 implementation of systems for rating the specific content of specific 
                          television programs.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Family Television Viewing 
Information and Empowerment Act of 1997''.

SEC. 2. IMPLEMENTATION OF RATING SYSTEMS FOR TELEVISION PROGRAMMING.

    Part I of title III of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 
301 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 337. RATING SYSTEMS FOR TELEVISION PROGRAMMING.

    ``(a) System Required for Grant or Renewal of Broadcast Television 
License.--The Commission shall not grant or renew a license for a 
broadcast television station unless the person applying for the license 
submits to the Commission with the application evidence of--
            ``(1) in the case of an application for the grant of a 
        license, a plan for the implementation of a system for rating 
        the content of television programming to be broadcast by the 
        station under the license; or
            ``(2) in the case of an application for the renewal of a 
        license, evidence of the implementation as of the date of the 
        application of a system for rating the content of television 
        programming broadcast by the station.
    ``(b) System Required for Assignment of Transitional Digital 
Television Frequencies.--The Commission shall not assign transitional 
digital television frequencies to a broadcast television station unless 
the person licensed to operate the station submits to the Commission 
with the request for assignment evidence of the implementation as of 
the date of the request of a system for rating the content of 
television programming broadcast by the station.
    ``(c) Recovery of Certain Transitional Frequencies.--The Commission 
shall require a person assigned transitional digital television 
frequencies before the date of enactment of this section to surrender 
such frequencies to the Commission if the person does not submit to the 
Commission, before commencement of the use of such frequencies, 
evidence of the implementation of a system for rating the content of 
television programming to be broadcast using such frequencies.
    ``(d) System Elements.--
            ``(1) In general.--Each system for rating the content of 
        television programming under this section shall provide a 
        rating of the specific content of each pre-recorded program 
        broadcast by the television station concerned.
            ``(2) Specific elements.--The rating of a television 
        program under such system shall--
                    ``(A) include information regarding language 
                content, sexual content, violent content, and any other 
                element that the person implementing the system 
                considers appropriate; and
                    ``(B) be broadcast so as--
                            ``(i) to appear in both visible and audible 
                        form;
                            ``(ii) to appear at the beginning of the 
                        program, and every 30 minutes thereafter in the 
                        case of a program in excess of 30 minutes in 
                        length; and
                            ``(iii) to permit the automatic blocking of 
                        display of the program using a feature to block 
                        display of programs with a common rating 
                        required under section 303(x).
    ``(e) Review by Commission.--
            ``(1) Purpose of review.--The Commission shall review each 
        system for rating the content of television programming 
        submitted under this section solely for the purpose of assuring 
        that such system meets the requirements of subsection (d).
            ``(2) Scope of authority.--Nothing in this section may be 
        construed to authorize or require the Commission to establish 
        or require a specific system for rating television programming.
            ``(3) Applicability of content-based standards.--Nothing in 
        this section may be construed to limit the applicability to 
        television programs covered by a system for rating television 
        programming under this section of any content-based standards 
        otherwise applicable to such programs under any other provision 
        of law.
    ``(f) Definition.--As used in this section:
            ``(1) Advanced television services.--The term `advanced 
        television services' has the meaning given such term in section 
        336(g)(1).
            ``(2) Transitional digital television frequencies.--The 
        term `transitional digital television frequencies' means 
        television frequencies allotted by the Commission for use by 
        broadcast television stations for the transition of such 
        stations from the broadcast of analog television services to 
        the broadcast of advanced television services.''.
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