Conservative Groups Push for Loosening Kids TV Mandates

Limited-government groups want the Federal Communications Commission to limit the mandates in its enforcement of children's programming legislation dating from the early 1990s, while a prominent kids TV group sees it slightly differently, while agreeing changes are needed. The FCC is tentatively proposing to eliminate a number of children's TV rules, and is seeking comment on changing others, concluding that educational and informational programming does not have to be at least a half-hour in length and regularly scheduled.  The agency also proposes cutting the frequency of kids TV reports to the FCC from quarterly to annually. 

In comments this week on the FCC's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, over two dozen groups including Americans for Tax Reform, Citizens Against Government Waste, and the American Conservative Union, said that was the right way to go. In its comments on the proposal, the Parents Television Council said that while it agrees the rules need to be modernized, the proposal reads like a broadcaster wish list. instead, it suggested, the FCC should employ some of the data-driven processes the new chairman has espoused to identify and define what the programming needs of children and families are, then seek input from parents, and get testimony from the scientific and education communities.