FCC already approved proposal that could weaken so-called “KidVid” rules
Boston (December 17, 2018) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA.), a member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee and the author of the Children’s Television Act, today led eight of this colleagues in calling on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to maintain essential elements of the “Kid Vid” rules, which ensure access to children’s education programming on over-the-air broadcast television, in accordance with the Children’s Television Act. In the letter, the Senators highlight the need to preserve existing rules requiring broadcasters to air three hours of regularly scheduled educational children’s programming a week on their primary stations.
“In light of comments recently filed in response to this proposal, we write to encourage you to ensure that all children, regardless of their families’ income level or access to high speed internet, continue to have access to the educational programming they deserve,” write the Senators. “In particular, we urge you to preserve existing rules requiring broadcasters to air three hours of regularly scheduled educational children’s programming a week on their primary stations.”
A copy of the letter can be found HERE.
Also signing the letter are Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Gary C. Peters (D-Mich.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
In June, Republican Commissioner Michael O’Reilly released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that makes a number of tentative, and harmful conclusions about the so-called “Kid Vid” rules, including, proposals to decrease the amount of educational children’s shows that broadcasters must air, remove the requirement that quality children’s shows are regularly scheduled, and allow broadcasters to air children’s shows on sparsely-viewed secondary television channels.
Senator Markey previously wrote to the FCC urging the Commissioners to maintain the existing rules and expressing concern that the Commission lacks important information about the consequences of revising key requirements.
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