Federal Communications Commission "FCC XX-XXX" STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER BRENDAN CARR Re: Children’s Television Programming Rules, MB Docket No. 18-202; Modernization of Media Regulation Initiative, MB Docket No. 17-105 In 1990, Congress recognized the importance of children’s educational programming when it passed the Children’s Television Act. The statute requires the Commission to consider the extent to which a licensee has “served the educational and informational needs of children” when the agency conducts its review of the broadcast station’s license renewal. The FCC rules implementing these provisions have gone largely unchanged since 1996. And a lot has changed since then. I graduated from high school for one. But more relevant to today’s proceeding, the video marketplace has responded to consumer demand for children’s programming in new ways. For those broadcasters that are subject to the FCC’s KidVid rules, many now exceed the requirements imposed on them by federal law, including by offering 24-hour children’s programming on dedicated, over-the-air multicast streams. Moreover, outlets that have never been subject to the FCC’s KidVid rules, like Disney and Nickelodeon’s cable channels, now provide 24/7 children’s programming. And this is in addition to the over-the-top and online providers, like Netflix, YouTube, and Hulu, that provide a nearly endless lineup of on-demand children’s programming while being exempt from our KidVid rules. Moreover, we’re seeing that the FCC’s existing approach has been preventing broadcasters from airing well-recognized educational and informational children’s programs that run infrequently or for less than 30 minutes. In light of these developments in the market, I’m glad the Commission is seeking comment on whether we should revise our 1996 approach while continuing to abide by Congress’s determinations in the Children’s Television Act. I want to thank Commissioner O’Rielly for his work on advancing this item and recognize the work that the Media Bureau has put in on this proceeding. It has my support. 2