Why A Government Ratings System Would Be Less Than Grade AA

[Commentary] Every once in a while, the specter of universal ratings for multiple content forms -- TV, video games, mobile content, and the like -- rears up in Washington and needs to be put down. Late last week, it appeared once again, with the Federal Communications Commission starting its inquiry after delivering a report to Congress about media blocking technologies. The main objection being raised to this universal ratings system and its enforcement by law is that it would violate media companies' First Amendment rights. But this objection -- while an important one -- leaves aside another key question about universal ratings for multiple content types. Is it even possible to rate video games on the same scale as an iBeer iPhone app and a T-Pain ringtone? It also isn't clear at all what problem these universal ratings are supposed to be addressing. The Entertainment Software Association's SVP for communications and industry affairs described universal ratings as "a solution in search of a problem," and said that they would only confuse consumers.