STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER MIGNON L. CLYBURN
Re: Empowering Parents and Protecting Children in an Evolving Media Landscape, MB 
Docket No. 09-194
I am pleased that we have acted expeditiously to follow up on the report we issued to 
Congress pursuant to the Child Safe Viewing Act at the end of August.  As we indicated in the 
Report, the record left substantial questions unanswered.  We specifically noted that we could 
only make meaningful progress if we had a comprehensive understanding of why parental control 
technologies have not been widely adopted.
Today’s Notice will help us build on our Report.  I am particularly interested to learn 
about why the current regime designed to give parents the necessary tools to protect their children 
from harmful content has proved to be inadequate.  I would like to hear from commenters who 
have ideas about ways in which we can simplify the process for parents in order to make 
education about these technologies a realistic endeavor.  As the Commission learned during the 
DTV transition, it is essential to develop a streamlined system that can be understood by parents 
who do not have time to sort through myriad technologies, ratings systems, etc., in order to have 
the oversight they require and deserve in their own homes.
In addition to learning more about what we can do to help parents protect their children 
from potentially harmful content delivered through various media platforms, today’s Notice also 
recognizes the need to maximize the potential benefits of our current media landscape.  With the 
advent of new technologies, we have an opportunity to revisit the best ways to help parents and 
children take full advantage of the many avenues available for education.  Any sound media 
policy concerning children will recognize that not only do we have a mission to empower parents 
to protect their children, but we also must help them understand the full panoply of positive 
options now available.
I believe that this Notice, along with workshops designed to hear from parents themselves 
struggling to keep up with each new generation of technology, can be of great value to the 
Commission.  This topic is of utmost importance and I am eager to review what promises to be a 
thoughtful and wide-ranging record.
Thank you to the Media Bureau for all of its hard work on this Notice and its continued 
commitment to making sure that we find the best ways to empower today’s parents to capitalize 
on what our current technologies have to offer in a safe and responsible manner.