text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Television Violence Reduction 
  Through Parental Empowerment Act of 1993''.
  
  SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
  
      The Congress finds the following:
              (1) To the fullest extent possible, parents should be 
          empowered with the technology to choose to block the display on 
          their televisions of programs they consider too violent for 
          their children.
              (2) Violence now touches the lives of American children 
          more than adults. From 1982 through 1984, teenagers were the 
          victims of 1,800,000 violent crimes, twice the annual rate of 
          the adult population over age 20. According to the American 
          Academy of Pediatrics, one of every 8 deaths among children age 
          10-14 years old in 1990 was caused by a shooting. Among 
          teenagers and young adults, that figure rose to one of every 
          four deaths.
              (3) Children watch an extensive amount of television. It is 
          estimated that a child watches approximately 22,000 hours of 
          television before finishing high school, almost twice the 
          amount of time spent in the classroom.
              (4) The amount of violence on television has reached 
          epidemic levels. The American Psychological Association 
          estimates that the average child witnesses 8,000 murders and 
          100,000 acts of violence before finishing elementary school.
              (5) Three Surgeon Generals, the National Institute of 
          Mental Health, the Centers for Disease Control, the American 
          Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and 
          the American Psychological Association have concurred for 
          nearly 20 years as to the deleterious effects of television 
          violence on children.
              (6) Despite periodic television industry efforts to reduce 
          the amount of television violence, reductions in the level of 
          televised violence have never been long lasting.
              (7) Parents who are working are unable to constantly 
          monitor the television viewing habits of their children. 
          Advanced television technologies such as channel compression 
          and digitization will allow the expansion of channel capacity 
          to levels even more unmanageable for parents who want to 
          protect their children from televised violence.
              (8) The major broadcast networks and a large number of 
          cable channels have agreed to place parental advisories on 
          programs they consider to be too violent for children. These 
          parental advisories are of limited use to parents if they are 
          not watching television with their children.
              (9) The technology currently exists to equip television 
          sets at a nominal cost to permit parents to block the display 
          of television programs they consider too violent for children. 
          However, this technology will only be effective (A) if all 
          television programmers send any adopted rating or warning 
          system electronically with the program signal, and (B) parents 
          are able to block the display not only of individual programs 
          but to block out automatically and simultaneously all programs 
          with such rating.
              (10) Congress calls upon the broadcast networks, 
          independent television stations, cable programmers, and 
          satellite programmers to protect the parental right to guide 
          the television viewing habits of children by sending any 
          adopted rating or warning system electronically with the 
          program signal.
  
  SEC. 3. EQUIP TELEVISIONS TO BLOCK PROGRAMS.
  
      Section 303 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 303) is 
  amended by adding at the end thereof the following:
      ``(v) Require that (1) apparatus designed to receive television 
  signals be equipped with circuitry designed to enable viewers to block 
  the display of channels, programs, and time slots; and (2) such 
  apparatus enable viewers to block display of all programs with a common 
  rating. The requirements of this subsection shall apply when such 
  apparatus is manufactured in the United States or imported for use in 
  the United States, and its television picture screen is 13 inches or 
  greater in size, measured diagonally.''.
  
  SEC. 4. SHIPPING OR IMPORTING.
  
      (a) Regulations.--Section 330 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 
  U.S.C. 330) is amended--
              (1) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (d); and
              (2) by adding after subsection (b) the following new 
          section:
      ``(c) No person shall ship in interstate commerce, manufacture, 
  assemble, or import from any foreign country into the United States, 
  any apparatus described in section 303(v) of this Act except in 
  accordance with rules prescribed by the Commission pursuant to the 
  authority granted by that section. Such rules shall provide performance 
  standards for such blocking technology. Such rules shall further 
  require that all such apparatus be able to receive the rating signals 
  which have been transmitted by way of line 21 of the vertical blanking 
  interval and which conform to the signal and blocking specifications 
  established by the Commission. As new video technology is developed, 
  the Commission shall take such action as the Commission determines 
  appropriate to ensure that blocking service continues to be available 
  to consumers. This subsection shall not apply to carriers transporting 
  such apparatus without trading it.''.
      (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 330(d) of such Act, as 
  redesignated by this Act, is amended by striking ``section 303(s), and 
  section 303(u)'' and inserting in lieu thereof ``and sections 303(s), 
  303(u), and 303(v)''.
  
  SEC. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE.
  
      The amendments made by sections 3 and 4 of this Act shall take 
  effect one year after enactment of this Act.
  
  SEC. 6. RULES.
  
      The Federal Communications Commission shall promulgate rules to 
  implement the amendments made by this Act within 180 days after the 
  date of its enactment.
target: Television Violence Reduction Through Parental Empowerment Act of 1993 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require that any television with a screen of at least 13 inches which is manufactured, or imported for use, in the United States be equipped with circuitry designed to enable viewers to block the display of channels, programs, time slots, and all programs with a common rating. 
  Prohibits shipping in interstate commerce, manufacturing, assembling, or importing any such television except pursuant to rules prescribed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).  Requires such rules to provide performance and display standards for such blocking technology. 
  Directs the FCC, as new video technology is developed, to ensure that blocking service continues to be available to consumers.
feat_title: Television Violence Reduction Through Parental Empowerment Act of 1993