article: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Television Violence Reduction Through Parental Empowerment Act of 1993''. SEC. 2. FINDINGS. The Congress finds the following: (1) To the fullest extent possible, parents should be empowered with the technology to choose to block the display on their televisions of programs they consider too violent for their children. (2) Violence now touches the lives of American children more than adults. From 1982 through 1984, teenagers were the victims of 1,800,000 violent crimes, twice the annual rate of the adult population over age 20. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, one of every 8 deaths among children age 10-14 years old in 1990 was caused by a shooting. Among teenagers and young adults, that figure rose to one of every four deaths. (3) Children watch an extensive amount of television. It is estimated that a child watches approximately 22,000 hours of television before finishing high school, almost twice the amount of time spent in the classroom. (4) The amount of violence on television has reached epidemic levels. The American Psychological Association estimates that the average child witnesses 8,000 murders and 100,000 acts of violence before finishing elementary school. (5) Three Surgeon Generals, the National Institute of Mental Health, the Centers for Disease Control, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Psychological Association have concurred for nearly 20 years as to the deleterious effects of television violence on children. (6) Despite periodic television industry efforts to reduce the amount of television violence, reductions in the level of televised violence have never been long lasting. (7) Parents who are working are unable to constantly monitor the television viewing habits of their children. Advanced television technologies such as channel compression and digitization will allow the expansion of channel capacity to levels even more unmanageable for parents who want to protect their children from televised violence. (8) The major broadcast networks and a large number of cable channels have agreed to place parental advisories on programs they consider to be too violent for children. These parental advisories are of limited use to parents if they are not watching television with their children. (9) The technology currently exists to equip television sets at a nominal cost to permit parents to block the display of television programs they consider too violent for children. However, this technology will only be effective (A) if all television programmers send any adopted rating or warning system electronically with the program signal, and (B) parents are able to block the display not only of individual programs but to block out automatically and simultaneously all programs with such rating. (10) Congress calls upon the broadcast networks, independent television stations, cable programmers, and satellite programmers to protect the parental right to guide the television viewing habits of children by sending any adopted rating or warning system electronically with the program signal. SEC. 3. EQUIP TELEVISIONS TO BLOCK PROGRAMS. Section 303 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 303) is amended by adding at the end thereof the following: ``(v) Require that (1) apparatus designed to receive television signals be equipped with circuitry designed to enable viewers to block the display of channels, programs, and time slots; and (2) such apparatus enable viewers to block display of all programs with a common rating. The requirements of this subsection shall apply when such apparatus is manufactured in the United States or imported for use in the United States, and its television picture screen is 13 inches or greater in size, measured diagonally.''. SEC. 4. SHIPPING OR IMPORTING. (a) Regulations.--Section 330 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 330) is amended-- (1) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (d); and (2) by adding after subsection (b) the following new section: ``(c) No person shall ship in interstate commerce, manufacture, assemble, or import from any foreign country into the United States, any apparatus described in section 303(v) of this Act except in accordance with rules prescribed by the Commission pursuant to the authority granted by that section. Such rules shall provide performance standards for such blocking technology. Such rules shall further require that all such apparatus be able to receive the rating signals which have been transmitted by way of line 21 of the vertical blanking interval and which conform to the signal and blocking specifications established by the Commission. As new video technology is developed, the Commission shall take such action as the Commission determines appropriate to ensure that blocking service continues to be available to consumers. This subsection shall not apply to carriers transporting such apparatus without trading it.''. (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 330(d) of such Act, as redesignated by this Act, is amended by striking ``section 303(s), and section 303(u)'' and inserting in lieu thereof ``and sections 303(s), 303(u), and 303(v)''. SEC. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE. The amendments made by sections 3 and 4 of this Act shall take effect one year after enactment of this Act. SEC. 6. RULES. The Federal Communications Commission shall promulgate rules to implement the amendments made by this Act within 180 days after the date of its enactment.
summary: Television Violence Reduction Through Parental Empowerment Act of 1993 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require that any television with a screen of at least 13 inches which is manufactured, or imported for use, in the United States be equipped with circuitry designed to enable viewers to block the display of channels, programs, time slots, and all programs with a common rating. Prohibits shipping in interstate commerce, manufacturing, assembling, or importing any such television except pursuant to rules prescribed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Requires such rules to provide performance and display standards for such blocking technology. Directs the FCC, as new video technology is developed, to ensure that blocking service continues to be available to consumers.