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 NEWS  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974).  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  TTY:  1-  888-  835-  5322 
 FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE  NEWS  MEDIA  CONTACT  October  21,  2004  David  Fiske:  202-  418-  0513 
 Press  Statement  of  FCC  Chairman  Michael  K.  Powell  Regarding  FCC  Enforcement  Bureau  Consent  Decrees  on  Children’s  Television  Programming  Rules 
 for  Cable  Programmers 
 Today,  the  Commission’s  Enforcement  Bureau  resolves  major  investigations  regarding  our  children’s  programming  rules.  These  important  rules,  which  derive  from  the  Children’s 
 Television  Act  of  1990,  place  strict  limits  on  the  amount  of  commercial  matter  that  may  be  aired  during  children’s  programming.  They  apply  to  television  broadcast  stations,  cable  channels,  and 
 DBS  providers  and  ensure  that  our  children,  who  are  uniquely  vulnerable  as  viewers,  are  not  exposed  to  excessive  advertisements. 


 As  a  result  of  routine  audits  conducted  by  Enforcement  Bureau  field  agents,  serious  questions  arose  concerning  the  amount  of  commercial  matter  during  children’s  programs  on  the 
 ABC  Family  Channel  and  Nickelodeon.  Both  channels  are  hugely  popular  with  children  and  are  carried  on  virtually  all  cable  systems  nationwide,  each  reaching  in  excess  of  85  million 
 households. 
 The  consent  decrees  entered  into  today  will  not  only  help  protect  children  who  watch  these  cable  channels,  but  will  have  a  much  broader  impact.  All  cable  operators,  DBS  providers, 
 commercial  television  broadcasters,  and  companies  that  provide  children’s  programming  should  know  that  we  will  vigorously  enforce  our  children’s  advertising  limits.  We  will  continue  to  take 
 swift  and  appropriate  enforcement  action  to  protect  the  interests  of  children. 
 -FCC- 
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