By its own admission, the industry stated from the outset that the guidelines would resemble the MPAA Ratings System. These guidelines are not rules. These guidelines are not acceptable because they do not establish rules for rating programming. A system which doesn't provide an explanation for why a program is rated as it is runs the risk of confusing and misleading viewers and is prone to inconsistency. Clear and concise rules are necessary so that broadcasters and parents can apply the rules and arrive at a similar result on a consistent basis.
Rules form the basis for guidelines.
The industry guidelines lack rules. A program with this designation may contain little or no violence, no strong language and little or no sexual dialogue or situations. A program with this designation may contain infrequent coarse language, limited violence, some suggestive sexual dialogue or situations. A program with this designation may contain sophisticated themes, sexual content, strong language and more intense violence. A program with this designation may contain mature themes, profane language, graphic violence or explicit sexual content.