Ed Markey: “Yesterday the violence chip received the endorsement of the President of the United States. This is a watershed moment…”

“Yesterday the violence chip received the endorsement of the President of the United States. This is a watershed moment in the fight for balance between parents who feel overwhelmed by the 200-channel television world of the future, and those who believe that the first amendment denies government any role in managing television. Parents can set their sets to block out violent shows, and the V-chip does the rest. Any show carrying a rating that the parent wants to keep out, gets blocked. For those of you who can't program the clock on your VCR, this is easier. If you want, you can set it once and not reset it until your kids are grown. In the meantime, a parent knows that at least in his or her living room, there is an oasis of peace and quiet, free from the guns and beatings and mayhem and sexual material that is so frequently used to attract TV audiences. This is nothing more or less than an on-off button, modernized for today's world. Parents can't be home all day, so technology will block shows until parents get home. It is not censorship, it is parental choice. It is not content regulation, it is parental mobilization. It is not big brother, it is big mother and big father. Ninety percent of parents polled want it.”