Dan Coats: “this past Thursday the Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on the current television rating system. I want to…”

“this past Thursday the Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on the current television rating system. I want to commend Senator McCain for calling that hearing. It was very instructional for all of us. What was apparent from that hearing is the near universal dissatisfaction with the current Hollywood rating system, the need for immediate change, the utter failure of the industry to understand what parents want in a rating system, and the basic responsibility that goes with using publicly owned broadcast spectrum. Mr. President, we are beyond debate regarding the influence of television programming on children, particularly the most vulnerable of our children, growing up in single-parent homes or homes where the demand of work keep parents away and children unsupervised for long hours. This is, unfortunately, an increasing norm in our society. It was a combination of these facts and the increasingly violent and explicit nature of television programming that produced the ``V'' chip legislation that passed last year and the demand for ratings that empower parents with content information so that they can exercise control over the type of television programming invading their households and their children's minds that they believe is inappropriate.”