Commission Seeks Comment on the Status of Children's Television Programming, 24308-24309 [E7-8300]
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24308
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 84 / Wednesday, May 2, 2007 / Notices
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS
COMMISSION
[MB Docket No. 00–167; DA 07–1716]
Commission Seeks Comment on the
Status of Children’s Television
Programming
Federal Communications
Commission.
ACTION: Notice.
mmaher on DSK3CLS3C1PROD with $$_JOB
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: In this document, the
Commission seeks comment on the
status of children’s television
programming, and compliance with the
Children’s Television Act (‘‘CTA’’) and
the Commission’s rules. The
Commission takes steps to ensure that
its review of each television broadcast
license renewal application, has ‘‘served
the educational and informational needs
of children through the licensee’s
overall programming, including
programming specifically designed to
serve such needs.’’
DATES: Comments for this proceeding
are due on or before June 1, 2007; reply
comments are due on or before June 18,
2007.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments,
identified by MM Docket No. 00–167, by
any of the following methods:
<bullet≤ Federal eRulemaking Portal:
https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
<bullet≤ Federal Communications
Commission’s Web site: https://
www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
<bullet≤ People with Disabilities:
Contact the FCC to request reasonable
accommodations (accessible format
documents, sign language interpreters,
CART, etc.) by e-mail: FCC504@fcc.gov
or phone: 202–418–0530 or TTY: 202–
418–0432.
For detailed instructions for
submitting comments and additional
information on the rulemaking process,
see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
section of this document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
additional information on this
proceeding, contact Holly Saurer,
Holly.Saurer@fcc.gov of the Media
Bureau, Policy Division, (202) 418–
2120. Press inquiries should be directed
to Clyde Ensslin, (202) 428–0506. TTY:
(202) 418–7172 or (888) 835–5322.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a
summary of the Commission’s Public
Notice, DA 07–1716 released on April
17, 2007. The full text of this document
is available for public inspection and
copying during regular business hours
in the FCC Reference Center, Federal
Communications Commission, 445 12th
VerDate Mar 15 2010
03:08 Aug 19, 2011
Jkt 223001
Street, SW., CY–A257, Washington, DC
20554. These documents will also be
available via ECFS (https://www.fcc.gov/
cgb/ecfs/). (Documents will be available
electronically in ASCII, Word 97, and/
or Adobe Acrobat.) The complete text
may be purchased from the
Commission’s copy contractor, 445 12th
Street, SW., Room CY–B402,
Washington, DC 20554. To request this
document in accessible formats
(computer diskettes, large print, audio
recording, and Braille), send an e-mail
to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the
Commission’s Consumer and
Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202)
418–0530 (voice), (202) 418–0432
(TTY).
Summary of the Notice
1. In this Public Notice, we seek
comment on the status of children’s
television programming, and
compliance with the Children’s
Television Act (‘‘CTA’’) and the
Commission’s rules.
2. The CTA requires the Commission,
in its review of each television
broadcast license renewal application,
to ‘‘consider the extent to which the
licensee * * * has served the
educational and informational needs of
children through the licensee’s overall
programming, including programming
specifically designed to serve such
needs.’’ In enacting the CTA, Congress
found that, while television can benefit
society by helping to educate and
inform children, there are significant
market disincentives for commercial
broadcasters to air children’s
educational and informational
programming. The objective of Congress
in enacting the CTA was to increase the
amount of educational and
informational programming available on
television. The CTA accomplished that
objective by placing on every licensee
an obligation to provide such
programming, including programming
specifically designed to educate and
inform children, and by requiring the
FCC to enforce that obligation.
3. In November 2004, the Commission
released a Report and Order and Further
Notice of Proposed Rule Making (‘‘2004
Order’’) in MM Docket No. 00–167,
Children’s Television Obligations of
Digital Television Broadcasters. The
2004 Order addressed matters related to
the obligation of television licensees to
provide educational programming for
children and the requirement that
television licensees protect children
from excessive and inappropriate
commercial messages. In September
2006, the Commission released a
Second Order on Reconsideration and
Second Report and Order (‘‘2006
PO 00000
Frm 00045
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Order’’), which adopted the
recommendations of a Joint Proposal
submitted by representatives of the
broadcast and cable industries and
public interest groups involved in
children’s television issues. This 2006
Order modified and clarified the rules
adopted in the 2004 Order.
4. As part of the 2004 Order, the
Commission indicated that it intended
to issue a Public Notice ‘‘seeking
comment on whether broadcasters are
complying with the letter and intent of
the CTA in terms of, among other
things, the amount and quality of core
children’s programming being provided
and the extent of preemption of such
programming.’’ More recently, the
Commission entered into a Consent
Decree with Univision to resolve
petitions to deny filed against pending
license renewal applications. Petitioners
alleged that certain Univision stations
did not comply with the children’s
programming rules, claiming that the
programs relied upon as ‘‘core’’ did not
serve the educational and informational
needs of children.
5. This Public Notice is being issued
in furtherance of the 2004 Order. We
invite comment regarding the state of
children’s television programming. Are
licensees complying with the CTA?
Does the programming that licensees
have reported as core children’s
programming generally meet the
Commission’s standards? Educational
and informational television
programming is defined by the
Commission as:
Any television programming that furthers
the educational and informational needs of
children 16 years of age and under in any
respect, including the child’s intellectual/
cognitive or social/emotional needs.
Programming specifically designed to serve
the educational and informational needs of
children (‘Core Programming’) is educational
and informational programming that satisfies
the following additional criteria:
(1) It has serving the educational and
informational needs of children ages 16 and
under as a significant purpose;
(2) It is aired between the hours of 7 a.m.
and 10 p.m.;
(3) It is a regularly scheduled weekly
program;
(4) It is at least 30 minutes in length;
(5) The program is identified as specifically
designed to educate and inform children by
the display on the television screen
throughout the program of the symbol E/I;
(6) The educational and informational
objective and the target child audience are
specified in writing in the licensee’s
Children’s Television Programming Report,
as described in section 73.3526(e)(11)(iii) of
the Commission’s rules; and
(7) Instructions for listing the program as
educational/ informational, including an
indication of the age group for which the
program is intended, are provided by the
E:\FEDREG\02MYN1.LOC
02MYN1
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 84 / Wednesday, May 2, 2007 / Notices
mmaher on DSK3CLS3C1PROD with $$_JOB
licensee to publishers of program guides, as
described in section 73.673 of the
Commission’s rules.
6. Are the core programming criteria
listed in the Commission’s rules
adequate to properly define educational
and informational programming? Do
these criteria fulfill the requirements of
the CTA? Should the Commission
consider additional criteria? Does the
current level of preemption affect
compliance with the CTA and
Congressional intent? In what other
ways are licensees complying, or not,
with the CTA and the Commission’s
rules related to children’s programming?
7. Ex Parte Rules. This proceeding
will be treated as a ‘‘permit-butdisclose’’ proceeding subject to the
‘‘permit-but-disclose’’ requirements
under section 1.1206(b) of the
Commission’s rules. Ex parte
presentations are permissible if
disclosed in accordance with
Commission rules, except during the
Sunshine Agenda period when
presentations, ex parte or otherwise, are
generally prohibited. Persons making
oral ex parte presentations are reminded
that a memorandum summarizing a
presentation must contain a summary of
the substance of the presentation and
not merely a listing of the subjects
discussed. More than a one- or twosentence description of the views and
arguments presented is generally
required. Additional rules pertaining to
oral and written presentations are set
forth in section 1.1206(b).
8. Pursuant to Sections 1.415 and
1.419 of the Commission’s rules,
interested parties may file comments
and reply comments on or before the
dates indicated on the first page of this
document. All filings must be submitted
in MM Docket No. 00–167. Pleadings
sent via e-mail to the Commission will
be considered informal and will not be
part of the official record. Comments
may be filed using: (1) The
Commission’s Electronic Comment
Filing System (ECFS), (2) the Federal
Government’s eRulemaking Portal, or (3)
by filing paper copies.
<bullet≤ Electronic Filers: Comments
may be filed electronically using the
Internet by accessing the ECFS: https://
www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/ or the Federal
eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Filers should
follow the instructions provided on the
website for submitting comments.
<bullet≤ For ECFS filers, in
completing the transmittal screen, filers
should include their full name, U.S.
Postal service mailing address, and the
applicable docket number: MM Docket
No. 00–167. Parties may also submit an
electronic comment by Internet e-mail.
To get filing instructions, filers should
VerDate Mar 15 2010
03:08 Aug 19, 2011
Jkt 223001
send an e-mail to ecfs@fcc.gov, and
include the following words in the body
of the message: ‘‘get form’’. A sample
form and instructions will be sent in
response.
<bullet≤ Paper Filers: Parties who
choose to file by paper must file an
original and four copies of each filing.
Filings can be sent by hand or
messenger delivery, by commercial
overnight courier, or by first-class or
overnight U.S. Postal Service mail
(although we continue to experience
delays in receiving U.S. Postal Service
mail). All filings must be addressed to
the Commission’s Secretary, Office of
the Secretary, Federal Communications
Commission.
<bullet≤ The Commission’s contractor
will receive hand-delivered or
messenger-delivered paper filings for
the Commission’s Secretary at 236
Massachusetts Avenue, NE., Suite 110,
Washington, DC 20002. The filing hours
at this location are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. All
hand deliveries must be held together
with rubber bands or fasteners. Any
envelopes must be disposed of before
entering the building.
<bullet≤ Commercial overnight mail
(other than U.S. Postal Service Express
Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent to
9300 East Hampton Drive, Capitol
Heights, MD 20743.
<bullet≤ U.S. Postal Service first-class
mail, Express Mail, and Priority Mail
should be addressed to 445 12th Street,
SW., Washington, DC 20554.
<bullet≤ People with Disabilities: To
request materials in accessible formats
for persons with disabilities (Braille,
large print, electronic files, audio
format), send an e-mail to
fcc504@fcc.gov or contact the Consumer
and Governmental Affairs Bureau at
(202) 418–0530 or (202) 418–7365
(TTY).
<bullet≤ Copies of any filed
documents in this matter are also
available for inspection in the
Commission’s Reference Information
Center: 445 12th Street, SW.,
Washington, DC 20554, (202) 418–7092.
Federal Communications Commission.
Mary Beth Murphy,
Chief, Policy Division, Media Bureau.
[FR Doc. E7–8300 Filed 5–1–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712–01–P
FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION
Notice of Agreements Filed
The Commission hereby gives notice
of the filing of the following agreements
under the Shipping Act of 1984.
Interested parties may submit comments
on agreements to the Secretary, Federal
PO 00000
Frm 00046
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
24309
Maritime Commission, Washington, DC
20573, within ten days of the date this
notice appears in the Federal Register.
Copies of agreements are available
through the Commission’s Office of
Agreements (202–523–5793 or
tradeanalysis@fmc.gov).
Agreement No.: 011284–061.
Title: Ocean Carrier Equipment
Management Association Agreement.
Parties: APL Co. Pte. Ltd.; American
President Lines, Ltd.; A.P. MollerMaersk A/S trading under the name of
Maersk Line; CMA CGM, S.A.; Atlantic
Container Line; Companhia Libra de
Navegacao; Compania Libra de
Navegacion Uruguay S.A.; Compania
Sudamericana de Vapores, S.A.; COSCO
Container Lines Company Limited;
Crowley Maritime Corporation;
Evergreen Line Joint Service Agreement;
Hamburg-S[uuml]d; Hapag-Lloyd AG;
Hapag-Lloyd USA LLC; Hanjin Shipping
Co., Ltd.; Hyundai Merchant Marine Co.
Ltd.; Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd.;
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd.; Nippon Yusen
Kaisha Line; Norasia Container Lines
Limited; Orient Overseas Container Line
Limited; and Yang Ming Marine
Transport Corp.
Filing Party: Jeffrey F. Lawrence, Esq.
and Donald J. Kassilke, Esq.; Sher &
Blackwell LLP; 1850 M Street, NW.,
Suite 900; Washington, DC 20036.
Synopsis: The amendment would add
Zim Integrated Shipping Services, Ltd.
as a party to the agreement.
Agreement No.: 011980–001.
Title: South Atlantic Chassis Pool
Agreement.
Parties: The Ocean Carrier Equipment
Management Association and its
member lines; the Association’s
subsidiary Consolidated Chassis
Management LLC and its affiliates;
Georgia Ports Authority; and South
Carolina State Ports Authority.
Filing Party: Jeffrey F. Lawrence, Esq.
and Donald J. Kassilke, Esq.; Sher &
Blackwell LLP; 1850 M Street, NW;
Suite 900; Washington, DC 20036.
Synopsis: The amendment would add
Evergreen Line Joint Service Agreement,
already a member of the Ocean Carrier
Equipment Management Association, as
a member to the agreement.
Agreement No.: 201103–006.
Title: Memorandum Agreement of the
Pacific Maritime Association of
December 14, 1983 Concerning
Assessments to Pay ILWU–PMA
Employee Benefit Costs, As Amended,
Through April 19, 2007.
Parties: Pacific Maritime Association
and International Longshore and
Warehouse Union.
Filing Party: Matthew J. Thomas, Esq.;
Troutman Sanders LLP; 401 9th Street,
E:\FEDREG\02MYN1.LOC
02MYN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 84 (Wednesday, May 2, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24308-24309]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-8300]
[[Page 24308]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
[MB Docket No. 00-167; DA 07-1716]
Commission Seeks Comment on the Status of Children's Television
Programming
AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In this document, the Commission seeks comment on the status
of children's television programming, and compliance with the
Children's Television Act (``CTA'') and the Commission's rules. The
Commission takes steps to ensure that its review of each television
broadcast license renewal application, has ``served the educational and
informational needs of children through the licensee's overall
programming, including programming specifically designed to serve such
needs.''
DATES: Comments for this proceeding are due on or before June 1, 2007;
reply comments are due on or before June 18, 2007.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by MM Docket No. 00-167,
by any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
Federal Communications Commission's Web site: https://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
People with Disabilities: Contact the FCC to request
reasonable accommodations (accessible format documents, sign language
interpreters, CART, etc.) by e-mail: FCC504@fcc.gov or phone: 202-418-
0530 or TTY: 202-418-0432.
For detailed instructions for submitting comments and additional
information on the rulemaking process, see the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION section of this document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information on this
proceeding, contact Holly Saurer, Holly.Saurer@fcc.gov of the Media
Bureau, Policy Division, (202) 418-2120. Press inquiries should be
directed to Clyde Ensslin, (202) 428-0506. TTY: (202) 418-7172 or (888)
835-5322.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Commission's Public
Notice, DA 07-1716 released on April 17, 2007. The full text of this
document is available for public inspection and copying during regular
business hours in the FCC Reference Center, Federal Communications
Commission, 445 12th Street, SW., CY-A257, Washington, DC 20554. These
documents will also be available via ECFS (https://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/
). (Documents will be available electronically in ASCII, Word 97, and/
or Adobe Acrobat.) The complete text may be purchased from the
Commission's copy contractor, 445 12th Street, SW., Room CY-B402,
Washington, DC 20554. To request this document in accessible formats
(computer diskettes, large print, audio recording, and Braille), send
an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Commission's Consumer and
Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice), (202) 418-0432
(TTY).
Summary of the Notice
1. In this Public Notice, we seek comment on the status of
children's television programming, and compliance with the Children's
Television Act (``CTA'') and the Commission's rules.
2. The CTA requires the Commission, in its review of each
television broadcast license renewal application, to ``consider the
extent to which the licensee * * * has served the educational and
informational needs of children through the licensee's overall
programming, including programming specifically designed to serve such
needs.'' In enacting the CTA, Congress found that, while television can
benefit society by helping to educate and inform children, there are
significant market disincentives for commercial broadcasters to air
children's educational and informational programming. The objective of
Congress in enacting the CTA was to increase the amount of educational
and informational programming available on television. The CTA
accomplished that objective by placing on every licensee an obligation
to provide such programming, including programming specifically
designed to educate and inform children, and by requiring the FCC to
enforce that obligation.
3. In November 2004, the Commission released a Report and Order and
Further Notice of Proposed Rule Making (``2004 Order'') in MM Docket
No. 00-167, Children's Television Obligations of Digital Television
Broadcasters. The 2004 Order addressed matters related to the
obligation of television licensees to provide educational programming
for children and the requirement that television licensees protect
children from excessive and inappropriate commercial messages. In
September 2006, the Commission released a Second Order on
Reconsideration and Second Report and Order (``2006 Order''), which
adopted the recommendations of a Joint Proposal submitted by
representatives of the broadcast and cable industries and public
interest groups involved in children's television issues. This 2006
Order modified and clarified the rules adopted in the 2004 Order.
4. As part of the 2004 Order, the Commission indicated that it
intended to issue a Public Notice ``seeking comment on whether
broadcasters are complying with the letter and intent of the CTA in
terms of, among other things, the amount and quality of core children's
programming being provided and the extent of preemption of such
programming.'' More recently, the Commission entered into a Consent
Decree with Univision to resolve petitions to deny filed against
pending license renewal applications. Petitioners alleged that certain
Univision stations did not comply with the children's programming
rules, claiming that the programs relied upon as ``core'' did not serve
the educational and informational needs of children.
5. This Public Notice is being issued in furtherance of the 2004
Order. We invite comment regarding the state of children's television
programming. Are licensees complying with the CTA? Does the programming
that licensees have reported as core children's programming generally
meet the Commission's standards? Educational and informational
television programming is defined by the Commission as:
Any television programming that furthers the educational and
informational needs of children 16 years of age and under in any
respect, including the child's intellectual/ cognitive or social/
emotional needs. Programming specifically designed to serve the
educational and informational needs of children (`Core Programming')
is educational and informational programming that satisfies the
following additional criteria:
(1) It has serving the educational and informational needs of
children ages 16 and under as a significant purpose;
(2) It is aired between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.;
(3) It is a regularly scheduled weekly program;
(4) It is at least 30 minutes in length;
(5) The program is identified as specifically designed to
educate and inform children by the display on the television screen
throughout the program of the symbol E/I;
(6) The educational and informational objective and the target
child audience are specified in writing in the licensee's Children's
Television Programming Report, as described in section
73.3526(e)(11)(iii) of the Commission's rules; and
(7) Instructions for listing the program as educational/
informational, including an indication of the age group for which
the program is intended, are provided by the
[[Page 24309]]
licensee to publishers of program guides, as described in section
73.673 of the Commission's rules.
6. Are the core programming criteria listed in the Commission's
rules adequate to properly define educational and informational
programming? Do these criteria fulfill the requirements of the CTA?
Should the Commission consider additional criteria? Does the current
level of preemption affect compliance with the CTA and Congressional
intent? In what other ways are licensees complying, or not, with the
CTA and the Commission's rules related to children's programming?
7. Ex Parte Rules. This proceeding will be treated as a ``permit-
but-disclose'' proceeding subject to the ``permit-but-disclose''
requirements under section 1.1206(b) of the Commission's rules. Ex
parte presentations are permissible if disclosed in accordance with
Commission rules, except during the Sunshine Agenda period when
presentations, ex parte or otherwise, are generally prohibited. Persons
making oral ex parte presentations are reminded that a memorandum
summarizing a presentation must contain a summary of the substance of
the presentation and not merely a listing of the subjects discussed.
More than a one- or two-sentence description of the views and arguments
presented is generally required. Additional rules pertaining to oral
and written presentations are set forth in section 1.1206(b).
8. Pursuant to Sections 1.415 and 1.419 of the Commission's rules,
interested parties may file comments and reply comments on or before
the dates indicated on the first page of this document. All filings
must be submitted in MM Docket No. 00-167. Pleadings sent via e-mail to
the Commission will be considered informal and will not be part of the
official record. Comments may be filed using: (1) The Commission's
Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS), (2) the Federal Government's
eRulemaking Portal, or (3) by filing paper copies.
Electronic Filers: Comments may be filed electronically
using the Internet by accessing the ECFS: https://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/
or the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. Filers
should follow the instructions provided on the website for submitting
comments.
For ECFS filers, in completing the transmittal screen,
filers should include their full name, U.S. Postal service mailing
address, and the applicable docket number: MM Docket No. 00-167.
Parties may also submit an electronic comment by Internet e-mail. To
get filing instructions, filers should send an e-mail to ecfs@fcc.gov,
and include the following words in the body of the message: ``get
form''. A sample form and instructions will be sent in response.
Paper Filers: Parties who choose to file by paper must
file an original and four copies of each filing. Filings can be sent by
hand or messenger delivery, by commercial overnight courier, or by
first-class or overnight U.S. Postal Service mail (although we continue
to experience delays in receiving U.S. Postal Service mail). All
filings must be addressed to the Commission's Secretary, Office of the
Secretary, Federal Communications Commission.
The Commission's contractor will receive hand-delivered or
messenger-delivered paper filings for the Commission's Secretary at 236
Massachusetts Avenue, NE., Suite 110, Washington, DC 20002. The filing
hours at this location are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. All hand deliveries must be
held together with rubber bands or fasteners. Any envelopes must be
disposed of before entering the building.
Commercial overnight mail (other than U.S. Postal Service
Express Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9300 East Hampton
Drive, Capitol Heights, MD 20743.
U.S. Postal Service first-class mail, Express Mail, and
Priority Mail should be addressed to 445 12th Street, SW., Washington,
DC 20554.
People with Disabilities: To request materials in
accessible formats for persons with disabilities (Braille, large print,
electronic files, audio format), send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or
contact the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530
or (202) 418-7365 (TTY).
Copies of any filed documents in this matter are also
available for inspection in the Commission's Reference Information
Center: 445 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20554, (202) 418-7092.
Federal Communications Commission.
Mary Beth Murphy,
Chief, Policy Division, Media Bureau.
[FR Doc. E7-8300 Filed 5-1-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P
