I
104TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 2964
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require the Federal Commu-
nications Commission to establish a toll free telephone number for the
collection of complaints concerning violence and other patently offensive
material on broadcast and cable television, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 9, 1996
Mr. KENNEDY of Massachusetts introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Commerce
A BILL
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require the
Federal Communications Commission to establish a toll
free telephone number for the collection of complaints
concerning violence and other patently offensive material
on broadcast and cable television, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Parents Television
Empowerment Act of 1996’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) The average American child watches 8,000
murders and 100,000 acts of violence on television
before finishing elementary school.
(2) Many of the poorest and potentially most
vulnerable groups in our society are the heaviest
viewers of television.
(3) Television violence is often presented with-
out context or judgment as to its acceptability.
(4) Most of the violence on television is pre-
sented during times when children are likely to be
viewing.
(5) The 1972 Surgeon General’s Report, Tele-
vision and Growing Up: The Impact of Televised Vi-
olence, found that there was a significant and con-
sistent correlation between television viewing and ag-
gressive behavior and a direct, causal link between
exposure to televised violence and subsequent ag-
gressive behavior on the part of the viewer.
(6) The 1982 National Institute of Mental
Health report, Television and Behavior: Ten Years
of Scientific Progress and Implications for the
Eighties, found that ‘‘violence on television does lead
to aggressive behavior by children and teenagers who
watch the programs,’’ and that some viewers learn
to be passive victims.
(7) Numerous other studies establish a causal
connection between watching violence on television
and increasingly violent behavior of children.
(8) There has been a proliferation of television
talk shows that, in a race for ratings, air ever more
outrageous programs dealing with rape, incest, and
other sensitive topics in a manner that seeks to sen-
sationalize and shock rather than educate and in-
form. Although the impact on the hundreds of thou-
sands of children who view these programs has yet
to be fully documented, the programs have raised
strong concerns among psychologists.
SEC. 3. AMENDMENT.
Title VII of the Communications Act of 1934 is
amended by adding at the end the following new section:
‘‘SEC. 714. COMPILATION AND PUBLICATION OF COM-
PLAINTS CONCERNING VIOLENT PROGRAM-
MING.
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF FACILITY FOR THE COL-
LECTION OF COMMENTS AND COMPLAINTS.—The Com-
mission shall, within 6 months after the date of enactment
of this section, establish a toll-free number for the collec-
tion of comments, suggestions, and complaints from the
public concerning the transmission by broadcast stations
or cable systems of programming containing depictions of
violence and other patently offensive material. The Com-
mission shall take such steps as may be necessary to pub-
licize such number and the Commission’s functions under
this section.
‘‘(b) PUBLICATION
OF DATA CONCERNING COM-
PLAINTS.—The Commission shall publish in the Federal
Register, on a quarterly basis, a summary of the com-
ments, suggestions, and complaints received pursuant to
subsection (a) during the preceding period. Such summary
shall include—
‘‘(1) a breakdown of the complaints by broad-
cast or cable network and broadcast station, and by
program name, date, and time;
‘‘(2) an identification, with respect to the 50
programs for which the highest number of com-
plaints were received, of the production company,
the principal advertisers supporting network dis-
tribution, the broadcast or cable network and broad-
cast station, and the program name, date, and time;
and
‘‘(3) a statement of observed trends in such
complaints as compared with complaints received
during prior periods.
‘‘(c) AVAILABILITY OF RECORDS.—The Commission
shall transcribe the comments, suggestions, and com-
plaints received pursuant to this section and shall—
‘‘(1) transmit to each licensee any comments,
suggestions, or complaints made with respect to its
station; and
‘‘(2) make the transcribed comments, sugges-
tions, and complaints available for public inspection.
The Commission shall omit from any records transmitted
or made available under this subsection the name and ad-
dress of any caller requesting confidentiality.
‘‘(d) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—The Commission shall
include in each annual report to Congress under section
4(k) an analysis of the complaints received pursuant to
this section. Such analysis shall include—
‘‘(1) an evaluation of whether, consistent with
its obligations to serve the public interest and meet
the educational and informational need of children,
the broadcasting industry has effectively responded
to the comments, suggestions, and complaints re-
ceived pursuant to this section regarding video pro-
gramming containing depictions of violence and
other patently offensive material; and
‘‘(2) such recommendations as the Commission
considers appropriate to secure more conscientious