*Pages 1--1 from  Microsoft Word - 55922.doc*
 STATEMENT  OF  COMMISSIONER  DEBORAH  TAYLOR  TATE 
 Re:  Children’s  Television  Obligations  of  Digital  Television  Broadcasters,  Second  Further  Notice  of  Proposed  Rulemaking  (MM  Docket  00-  167) 
 Children  are  one  of  this  country’s  most  valuable  assets.  It  is  imperative  that  we  make  every  effort  to  nurture  and  protect  them  as  they  develop.  Media  –  and,  in  particular,  television  – 
 plays  a  pervasive  role  in  the  lives  of  Americans  today.  Nielsen  Media  Research  reports  that  during  the  2004-  2005  television  seasons,  the  average  household  watched  television  for  8  hours, 
 11  minutes  each  day.  1  And  according  to  a  Kaiser  Family  Foundation  Study,  81  percent  of  children  between  the  ages  of  8  and  18  watch  television  in  a  typical  day,  and  8  to  18  year-  olds 
 watch  TV  on  average  for  3  hours  and  4  minutes  a  day.  2  The  American  Psychological  Association  has  found  that  “children  under  the  age  of  eight  lack  the  cognitive  development  to 
 understand  the  persuasive  intent  of  television  advertising  and  are  uniquely  susceptible  to  advertising’s  influence.”  3  That  is  why  it  is  critical  that  our  rules  successfully  ensure  that 
 broadcast  television  licensees  provide  educational  programming  for  children  and  that  video  programming  directed  at  children  is  free  of  excessive  and  inappropriate  commercial  messages. 


 Throughout  my  career  I  have  advocated  private  dispute  resolution  over  government  intervention.  Therefore,  I  was  delighted  to  discover  that  one  of  my  very  first  meetings  as  an 
 FCC  Commissioner  would  be  with  ALL  of  the  parties  involved  in  the  negotiations  –  public  interest  groups  advocating  on  behalf  of  children  as  well  as  broadcasters,  cable  networks,  and 
 those  who  develop  content  for  children’s  programming  –  together  in  one  room.  Those  individuals  worked  successfully  with  each  other  on  a  voluntary  basis  to  resolve  their  respective 
 concerns  and  develop  the  Joint  Proposal  of  Industry  and  Advocates  on  Reconsideration  of  Children’s  Television  Rules  that  we  have  before  us  today.  I  look  forward  to  reviewing  comments 
 filed  in  response  to  the  Joint  Proposal  and  working  with  my  fellow  Commissioners  to  ensure  that  our  rules  strike  the  appropriate  balance. 


 1  Nielsen  Media  Research,  Nielsen  Reports  Americans  Watch  TV  at  Record  Levels  (press  release), 
 Sept.  29,  2005.  2 
 Generation  M:  Media  in  the  Lives  of  8-  18  Year-  olds,  A  Kaiser  Family  Foundation  Study,  March  2005,  at  7. 


 3  See  Press  Release,  Television  Advertising  Leads  to  Unhealthy  Habits  in  Children;  says  APA  Task  Force, 
 February  23,  2004,  available  at  http://  www.  apa.  org/  releases/  childrenads.  html. 
1