    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
    [February 29, 1996]
    [Pages 343-344]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Prior to a Meeting With Entertainment and Media Executives
    February 29, 1996

        Good morning. Let me once again welcome all of you to the White
    House and thank you for coming for what is a truly historic meeting.
    Many of you have come from a long way away, and I am gratified by this
    astonishing and positive turnout.
        Three weeks ago today, I signed the telecommunications bill. This
    is, as all of you well know, truly landmark legislation that will free
    the full force of American ingenuity and creativity. It will help us to
    better enrich minds, to create more jobs, to help us understand one
    another, to help us enjoy more entertainment, and to help us grow
    together into the future.
        Those of you who are gathered here today will be the ones to unleash
    this American ingenuity. Arguably, you are the most powerful cultural
    force in the world. But we know, too, that freedom and creativity can
    truly thrive in a free society that is also a responsible society.
        In the State of the Union Address I challenged Congress to pass the
    telecommunications bill and to include within it the V-chip. Congress
    did that, agreeing that we should try the V-chip to give parents more
    control over the content of television programs their children watch, so
    that those that young people plainly should not watch would at least be
    subject to some parental control and influence.
        I asked you here today so that we could discuss our common
    responsibilities to help our children and our families. I believe the
    telecom

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    bill and the V-chip and, perhaps most important of all, this entirely
    voluntary gathering of your industry embodies what I see as the three
    great challenges this country faces as we go through this period of
    remarkable transformation. The telecom bill plainly will create more
    opportunities in this new era. The V-chip and your endeavors will enable
    us to exercise more responsibility to promote the strength and values of
    family. And if we do these things in a completely voluntary and open
    way, it will help us to come together as a national community.
        There are so many forces in America today that are operating to
    divide the American people, and I think we should work on uniting
    ourselves. It's been my experience and observation that when this
    country is united, we are never defeated; we always achieve what we set
    out to do. And you have gone a long way toward helping build that kind
    of community by your very presence here today, and I thank you for that.
        We are here to discuss how we can best fulfill our common
    responsibilities in two ways: first, how we can give parents more
    control over what their children see on television; and second, how we
    can improve children's programming.
        Two months ago I doubt that many people thought that this meeting,
    or any meeting like this, could have even occurred. But we have now made
    so much progress, and we're on the verge of making new progress. I am
    excited about what I think we can achieve here today for our children,
    our families, and our future.
        And let me say again, for an industry that gets more than its share
    of criticism, I think it is worth noting that you have all put aside all
    your vigorous internal, competitive rivalries and dealt with what I
    think is a very profound set of questions for the future. And so I thank
    you for being here. I welcome you here, and I must say I'm very much
    looking forward to our discussion.
        And I'd like to ask the Vice President now, who has worked so hard
    in helping to organize this meeting, to make a few opening remarks, and
    then we'll get down to work.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:42 a.m. in the State Dining Room at the
    White House.