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 Federal  Communications  Commission  DA  05-  301 
 Before  the  Federal  Communications  Commission 
 Washington,  D.  C.  20554 


 In  the  matter  of 
 Children’s  Television  Obligations  Of  Digital  Television  Broadcasters 
 )  ) 
 )  ) 
 )  )  MM  Docket  No.  00-  167 


 ORDER  GRANTING  EXTENSION  OF  TIME 
 FOR  FILING  COMMENTS  AND  REPLY  COMMENTS 


 Adopted:  February  16,  2005  Released:  February  17,  2005 
 Comment  Date:  April  1,  2005  Reply  Comment  Date:  May  2,  2005 


 By  the  Chief,  Media  Bureau: 
 1.  On  September  9,  2004,  the  Commission  adopted  a  Report  and  Order  and  Further  Notice  of  Proposed  Rule  Making  in  the  above-  captioned  proceeding.  1  In  the  Further  Notice  of  Proposed  Rule 
 Making  (“  FNPRM”),  the  Commission  sought  comment  on  issues  related  to  the  use  of  interactive  technology  in  children’s  television  programming.  2  The  Commission  also  sought  comment  on  its  proposal 
 to  apply  its  revised  definition  of  commercial  matter,  adopted  in  the  Order,  to  Direct  Broadcast  Satellite  service  providers.  3  The  deadline  for  filing  comments  on  the  FNPRM  is  March  1,  2005,  and  the  deadline 
 for  filing  reply  comments  is  April  1,  2005. 
 2.  We  have  received  a  request,  filed  jointly  by  Children  Now  and  other  child  advocacy  organizations  (collectively  “The  Children’s  Media  Policy  Coalition”),  for  a  30  day  extension  of  both  the 


 comment  and  reply  comment  deadlines.  4  These  organizations  state  that  they  would  find  it  difficult  to  draft  complete  responses  to  the  issues  raised  in  the  FNPRM  by  the  current  deadline,  in  part  because  the 
 period  for  filing  oppositions  and  replies  to  the  petitions  for  reconsideration  filed  in  this  proceeding  overlaps  with  the  period  for  filing  comments  on  the  FNPRM.  The  Coalition  also  states  that  an  extension 
 of  the  comment  period  would  permit  it  to  include  in  its  comments  new  research  findings  expected  to  be  released  in  early  March  2005. 


 1  See  FCC  04-  221,  released  November  23,  2004. 
 2  Id.  at  ¶¶  71-  72. 
 3  Id.  at  ¶  73. 
 4  See  Request  for  Extension  of  Time  to  File  Comments  of  Children  Now,  American  Psychological  Association, 
 American  Academy  of  Pediatrics,  American  Academy  of  Child  and  Adolescent  Psychiatry,  the  Benton  Foundation,  United  Church  of  Christ,  Office  of  Communications,  Inc.,  and  the  Institute  for  Public  Representation.,  MM  Docket 


 No.  00-  167,  filed  January  28,  2005. 
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 Federal  Communications  Commission  DA  05-  301 
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 3.  We  agree  that  an  extension  of  the  comment  and  reply  comment  deadlines  is  warranted  to  facilitate  full  participation  by  interested  parties  in  this  proceeding.  Accordingly,  IT  IS  ORDERED  that 
 the  deadline  for  filing  comments  in  response  to  the  FNPRM  IS  EXTENDED  to  April  1,  2005,  and  the  deadline  for  filing  reply  comments  IS  EXTENDED  to  May  2,  2005. 


 4.  This  action  is  taken  pursuant  to  authority  found  in  Sections  4(  i)  and  303(  r)  of  the  Communications  Act  of  1934,  as  amended,  47  U.  S.  C.  §§  154(  i)  and  303(  r),  and  Sections  0.204(  b),  0.283, 
 and  1.45  of  the  Commission’s  rules,  47  C.  F.  R.  §§  0.  204(  b),  0.283,  and  1.45. 


 FEDERAL  COMMUNICATIONS  COMMISSION 


 W.  Kenneth  Ferree  Chief,  Media  Bureau 
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