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Media Bureau Gets Additional Info From Ratings Board for May 15 Report

FCC Media Bureau staff sought and received additional information about the TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board, said an ex parte filing from NAB, MPAA and NCTA posted Wednesday in docket 19-41. The FCC will report to Congress on the ratings…

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oversight body May 15 (see 1903010046). The monitoring board's chairman -- a position rotated among the heads of NAB, MPAA and NCTA -- appoints non-industry board members after input from the board's other members, the filing said in response to Media Bureau information requests. Current members “represent a cross-section of organizations that deal with parents and children, consumers and media,” the filing said. Repeated complaints about a program’s rating can first lead to the three trade associations discussing whether action is needed and contacting the program’s distributor before an official decision is needed from the chairman, the filing said. “These discussions can -- and do -- result in changes being made to ratings before an adjudication is necessary,” the filing said. “There is no specific number of complaints that automatically results in an adjudication.” The board has conducted four adjudications in the 20 years it’s been in operation, the last in 2007, the filing said. “Complaints are often addressed before they reach an adjudication,” the filing said.