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Federal Communications Commission

Key players and places

The FCC voted on April 5 to begin considering new regulations to improve children's television programming. Conceding that the current guidelines under the 1990 Children's Television Act are vague, commission members sought public comment on a number of issues, including how to define children's educational programming, how to monitor broadcasters for compliance and whether to require broadcasters to provide a minimum amount of such programming.

FCC Chairman Reed Hundt, who suggested requiring a minimum number of hours of children's educational programming, proposed allowing broadcasters who don't want to provide such programs themselves to pay other broadcasters to meet their obligations. But two of his fellow Commissioners, and the National Association of Broadcasters, oppose the idea. The Commission has opened a 90-day window for public comments on the issue. A decision is expected this fall.

Meanwhile, the FCC completed its auction of spectrum for broadband personal communications services on March 13. It collect more than $7.7 billion for 99 licenses to provide wireless voice, data and video services in 51 markets. That's less than some officials had hoped, leaving little hope that funds from the auctions will be available to help wire the nation's schools for advanced telecommunications. Vice President Gore last year proposed using excess proceeds from the auctions for that purpose. Hundt asserted at a meeting with foundation executives that wiring the schools is one of his priorities.

A bigger chunk of spectrum may be up for grabs this year: the equivalent of 400 megahertz set aside in 1991 for broadcasters to offer high-definition television. (The PCS auction involved some 120 megahertz of spectrum). Broadcasters have grown less enthusiastic about HDTV of late, and more interested in using the additional spectrum for additional channels of standard television and such other services as paging, data transmission, or video games.

Congress and the FCC are expected this year to decide several basic issues raised by the broadcasters' request for "spectrum flexibility" -- including whether to auction the additional spectrum and what kinds of conditions to impose on its use. "The public policy issues are who gets the extra spectrum and how do they get it," Hundt told the New Yorker magazine. "And, after you deal with that, the question is what do they get to do with it."

Noting that advances in digital compression make it possible to transmit six or seven channels in airspace currently required for one channel, Hundt continued: "Should one of these be reserved for the local community? Should one be reserved for children's programming" Should one of these be for an all-news channel--a local CNN? These are all possibilities."

The commission also is considering whether telephone companies offering video dial tone services should be required to provide preferential access or reduced rates to public, educational and government agencies. A coalition of public interest groups have proposed such an arrangement. A ruling is expected later this year, probably by summer.

For more information read the January report.

Key players and places

Federal Communications Commission Andy Schwartzman--Executive Director of the Media Access Project Jeffrey Chester--Executive Director of the Center for Media Education

www.benton.org/Policy/96act/fcc.html
Last updated: 19 December 1996 ha

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Federal Communications Commission

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