Martin Targets TV Indecency, Wants Family Tier
FCC Chmn. Martin, stepping up his indecency battle, wants a cable family tier or a similar system to let consumers avoid paying for channels they don’t want. “That’s among a variety of things I've encouraged the cable industry to do,” he told the Federalist Society Thurs.: “They can give consumers more choice… some form of a la carte.” While targeting most of his criticism at cable, Martin also said broadcasters must do more on indecency, an issue gaining prominence on Capitol Hill. Broadcasters should “try to reinstate a family hour,” Martin said, adding that the current TV ratings system is “confusing to most parents” and “there are some practical things that can be done to improve the ratings system.”
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Martin took aim at cable’s arguments that parents can choose what children watch by using a V-chip, saying subscribers still must pay for shows they may not want their family to see. “In many ways the industry doesn’t want to give either choice” for opting in or opting out of receiving certain shows or networks, he said. “I think that the opt out regime that people advocate might fully address it, but you have to give people the opportunity to… say that they don’t want to pay for it.” Addressing another panelist’s comparison of channels to car accessories such as air conditioning, he said: “Since they're saying it’s so easy to order it without the air conditioning, it should be made without the air conditioning.”
Martin said he’s concerned about findings of recent research on indecent TV, citing one unveiled Wed. by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The study said 70% of all shows include “some sexual content,” up from 56% in 1998 (CD Nov 10 p6). During the past 7 years, the average number of sexually related scenes rose 56%. “The Commission is going to be responsive to the [indecency] complaints in front of us,” he said. “It is also these recent statistics that indicate there is concern among consumers.”
A broadcast official defended the current TV ratings system after Martin said movie ratings are much better understood by parents. “Our initial effort was to create a simple age-based ratings system,” said a NAB spokesman. “At the request of key members of Congress, and media activist groups, we added descriptors that made the system more complex… Our concern is that if it were changed [again] we could confuse parents even more.” But the official said NAB “look[s] forward to continuing a dialogue with Chairman Martin and others on the subject.” NAB declined to comment on a family hour. NCTA had no response to Martin’s remarks.
Members of Congress are also turning up the heat on cable. Sen. Obama (D-Ill.) became the latest legislator to chime in on indecency. Speaking as Kaiser released the study, he said broadcasters, cable and satellite providers must bolster indecency efforts to reduce inappropriate material on shows kids watch. If they don’t, Congress will act instead, he said (CD Nov 10 p6). Senate Commerce Committee Chmn. Stevens (R-Alaska) has to make the final Hill push on indecency. An indecency bill the House passed in Feb. would raise fines for indecent broadcasts to $500,000; the Senate Commerce Committee recently circulated a similar draft bill. Stevens, who has said he wants to consider other ideas, is holding a Nov. 29 open forum to solicit opinions. It isn’t clear whether the committee then would proceed with the draft bill as a companion to the House, so a package could be moved before Congress recesses, or Stevens would draft a new bill to reconcile with the House.
Several panelists appearing with Martin took issue with his comments. “Americans need to stop buying it if they don’t want it,” said Time Warner lawyer Adam Ciongoli, noting he was speaking for himself and not on behalf of the cable firm. “People can exercise restraint,” he said, adding that he doesn’t subscribe to cable because he doesn’t enjoy watching TV. At one point during the hour-plus discussion, Martin and Cato Institute Vp Legal Affairs Roger Pilon spoke over each other as the debate became heated. Parents should make better use of the V-chip to prevent their children from watching programming they think is inappropriate, Pilon said: “If there were money to be made in the kind of [family friendly] programming you're talking about, I think we would see more of it.”