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 Remarks  of  FCC  Commissioner  Kathleen  Abernathy  To  the  Consumer  Advisory  Committee 
 Federal  Communications  Commission  --  April  25,  2003  As  prepared  for  delivery. 


 First,  I  would  like  to  thank  you  for  providing  me  with  an  opportunity  to  say  a  few  words  at  today’s  inaugural  meeting  of  the  Consumer  Advisory  Committee.  This  Committee  allows  the 
 FCC  to  tap  into  the  expertise  of  diverse  and  esteemed  representatives  of  many  companies,  organizations  and  consumer  representatives  to  learn  what  else  we  can  do  to  address  consumer 
 concerns  and  to  facilitate  the  participation  of  consumers  in  FCC  proceedings.  I  am  already  anxiously  looking  forward  to  receiving  the  Committee’s  recommendations. 
 With  that  said,  I  do  not  think  this  will  be  an  easy  task.  The  Committee’s  mission  is  monumental  and  cuts  across  the  gambit  of  consumer  issues  including  access  to 
 telecommunications  services  by  people  with  disabilities,  consumer  protection  and  education,  increasing  consumer  participation  in  FCC  rulemaking  proceedings,  and  the  availability  of  new 
 technologies.  Despite  these  challenges,  I  firmly  believe  that  the  members  of  this  Committee  are  up  to  the  task. 
 Today  I  would  like  to  spend  a  few  minutes  to  discuss  two  areas  of  interest  to  me  that  I  hope  the  Committee  will  address.  The  first  issue  is  one  that  I  have  been  increasingly  vocal  on  – 
 ensuring  that  information  is  readily  available  for  parents  to  help  them  guide  their  children’s  television  viewing.  As  a  working  mother  of  a  seven  year  old  daughter,  I  know  how  difficult  it 
 can  be  to  guide  my  own  child’s  viewing  patterns  –  even  when  I  have  programming  information. 
 While  broadcasters,  cable  companies  and  others  are  delivering  amazing  new  content  focused  on  informing  and  educating  our  children,  as  parents  we  have  a  need  to  know  more  about 


 how  to  access  that  content.  To  that  end,  I  have  been  working  with  the  Consumer  and  Government  Affairs  Bureau  to  set  up  a  new  Parents  Page  on  the  FCC  Website.  It  should  provide 
 parents  with  another  asset  so  we  can  be  more  proactive  in  determining  which  programming  is  appropriate  for  our  children.  Specifically,  the  Parent’s  Page  explains  the  broadcaster’s  children’s 
 educational  and  informational  programming  requirements  and  provides  links  to  stations  that  are  willing  to  make  this  type  of  programming  schedule  available.  It  explains  how  the  V-  chip  works, 
 and  other  blocking  options,  what  the  ratings  system  is,  what  our  indecency  rules  prohibit,  and  how  to  file  an  indecency  complaint.  I  believe  that  having  this  information  together  on  a  single 
 page  that  is  focused  on  parents  will  improve  our  ability  to  provide  useful  information  to  the  public  because  it  is  only  with  knowledge  that  can  parents  make  informed  decisions.  I  look 
 forward  to  any  additional  recommendations  the  Committee  can  make  in  this  area  to  help  strengthen  this  website. 


 Another  area  that  I  am  looking  forward  to  hearing  from  the  Committee  on  is  consumer  education  for  senior  citizens.  With  the  graying  of  the  baby  boomer  generation,  which  I,  myself, 
 am  a  part  of,  the  population  of  senior  citizens  in  this  country  will  continue  to  grow  exponentially  over  the  next  few  years. 
 Unfortunately,  older  Americans  are  often  the  most  susceptible  to  unscrupulous  tactics  or  are  unaware  of  their  rights  because  of  the  lack  of  consumer  information  available  to  them.  In 
 addition,  many  times  these  Americans  do  not  have  sufficient  information  about  many  of  the  innovative  telecommunications  services,  technologies  and/  or  programs  that  are  available  and 
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 might  assist  them  on  a  day  to  day  basis.  I  am  extremely  interested  in  hearing  the  Committee’s  recommendations  on  how  the  FCC  can  ensure  that  senior  citizens  have  adequate  information  on 
 which  to  base  their  communications  decisions.  These  are  just  a  couple  of  the  key  issues  that  I  am  sure  this  Committee  will  address. 
 Needless  to  say,  there  are  countless  more  covering  many  other  equally  important  areas  which  will  also  serve  as  the  focus  of  your  discussions.  I  look  forward  to  reviewing  the  Committee’s 
 recommendations  on  all  issues  which  you  discuss  and  I  would  like  to  personally  thank  each  member  of  the  Committee  for  volunteering  their  service. 
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