[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 602 Reported in Senate (RS)]

                                                       Calendar No. 588
110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                 S. 602

                          [Report No. 110-268]

     To develop the next generation of parental control technology.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 15, 2007

  Mr. Pryor (for himself, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Kohl, Mr. Dorgan, and Mr. 
   Johnson) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

                             March 3, 2008

Reported by Mr. Inouye, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To develop the next generation of parental control technology.

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

<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    This Act may be cited as the ``Child Safe Viewing Act of 
2007''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 2. FINDINGS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Congress finds the following:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) Video programming has a direct impact on a 
        child's perception of safe and reasonable behavior.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Children imitate actions they witness on video 
        programming, including language, drug use, and sexual 
        conduct.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Studies indicate that the strong appeal of 
        video programming erodes the ability of parents to develop 
        responsible attitudes and behavior in their children.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) The average American child watches 4 hours of 
        television each day.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) Seventy-five percent of adults surveyed 
        believe that television content marketed toward children should 
        be subject to compulsory principles.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (6) Ninety-nine and nine-tenths percent of all 
        consumer complaints logged by the Federal Communications 
        Commission in the first quarter of 2006 regarding radio and 
        television broadcasting were because of obscenity, indecency, 
        and profanity.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (7) There is a compelling government interest in 
        empowering parents to limit their children's exposure to 
        harmful television content.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (8) Section 1 of the Communications Act of 1934 
        requires the Federal Communications Commission to promote the 
        safety of life and property through the use of wire and radio 
        communications.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (9) In the Telecommunications Act of 1996, 
        Congress authorized Parental Choice in Television Programming 
        and the V-Chip. Congress further directed action on alternative 
        blocking technology as new video technology advanced.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 3. EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVE PARENTAL CONTROL 
              TECHNOLOGIES.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) Rulemaking Proceeding Required.--Not later than 120 
days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Federal 
Communications Commission shall initiate a proceeding to consider 
measures to encourage or require the use of advanced blocking 
technologies that are compatible with various communications devices or 
platforms.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Content of Proceeding.--In conducting the proceeding 
required under subsection (a), the Federal Communications Commission 
shall consider advanced blocking technologies that--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) may be appropriate across a wide variety of 
        distribution platforms, including wired, wireless, and Internet 
        platforms;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) may be appropriate across a wide variety of 
        devices capable of transmitting or receiving video or audio 
        programming, including television sets, DVD players, VCRs, 
        cable set top boxes, satellite receivers, and wireless 
        devices;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) can filter language based upon information in 
        closed captioning;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) operate independently of ratings pre-assigned 
        by the creator of such video or audio programming; 
        and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) may be effective in enhancing the ability of a 
        parent to protect his or her child from indecent or 
        objectionable programming, as determined by such 
        parent.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (c) Definition.--In this section, the term ``advanced 
blocking technologies'' means technologies that can improve or enhance 
the ability of a parent to protect his or her child from any indecent 
or objectionable video or audio programming, as determined by such 
parent, that is transmitted through the use of wire, wireless, or radio 
communication.</DELETED>

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Child Safe Viewing Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Video programming has a direct impact on a child's 
        perception of safe and reasonable behavior.
            (2) Children may imitate actions they witness on video 
        programming, including language, drug use, and sexual conduct.
            (3) Studies suggest that the strong appeal of video 
        programming erodes the ability of parents to develop 
        responsible attitudes and behavior in their children.
            (4) The average American child watches 4 hours of 
        television each day.
            (5) 99.9 percent of all consumer complaints logged by the 
        Federal Communications Commission in the first quarter of 2006 
        regarding radio and television broadcasting were because of 
        obscenity, indecency, and profanity.
            (6) There is a compelling government interest in empowering 
        parents to limit their children's exposure to harmful 
        television content.
            (7) Section 1 of the Communications Act of 1934 requires 
        the Federal Communications Commission to promote the safety of 
        life and property through the use of wire and radio 
        communications.
            (8) In the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Congress 
        authorized Parental Choice in Television Programming and the V-
        Chip. Congress further directed action on alternative blocking 
        technology as new video technology advanced.

SEC. 3. EXAMINATION OF ADVANCED BLOCKING TECHNOLOGIES.

    (a) Inquiry Required.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Federal Communications Commission shall 
initiate a notice of inquiry to consider measures to examine--
            (1) the existence and availability of advanced blocking 
        technologies that are compatible with various communications 
        devices or platforms; and
            (2) methods of encouraging the development, deployment, and 
        use of such technology by parents that do not affect the 
        packaging or pricing of a content provider's offering.
    (b) Content of Proceeding.--In conducting the inquiry required 
under subsection (a), the Commission shall consider advanced blocking 
technologies that--
            (1) may be appropriate across a wide variety of 
        distribution platforms, including wired, wireless, and Internet 
        platforms;
            (2) may be appropriate across a wide variety of devices 
        capable of transmitting or receiving video or audio 
        programming, including television sets, DVD players, VCRs, 
        cable set top boxes, satellite receivers, and wireless devices;
            (3) can filter language based upon information in closed 
        captioning;
            (4) operate independently of ratings pre-assigned by the 
        creator of such video or audio programming; and
            (5) may be effective in enhancing the ability of a parent 
        to protect his or her child from indecent or objectionable 
        programming, as determined by such parent.
    (c) Reporting.--Not later than 270 days after the enactment of this 
Act, the Commission shall issue a report to Congress detailing any 
findings resulting from the inquiry required under subsection (a).
    (d) Definition.--In this section, the term ``advanced blocking 
technologies'' means technologies that can improve or enhance the 
ability of a parent to protect his or her child from any indecent or 
objectionable video or audio programming, as determined by such parent, 
that is transmitted through the use of wire, wireless, or radio 
communication.
                                                       Calendar No. 588

110th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                                 S. 602

                          [Report No. 110-268]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

     To develop the next generation of parental control technology.

_______________________________________________________________________

                             March 3, 2008

        Reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute