wfn.org | Former FCC Commissioner encourages FCC to define public

[powellb@ucc.org]

Gloria Tristani, press contact
202-263-2586
tristang@ucc.org
On the web: ocinc.ucc.org

In Cleveland:
Barb Powell, press contact
216-736-2175
powellb@ucc.org

For immediate release
June 2, 2004

Former FCC Commissioner Gloria Tristani urges Congress to demand that the
FCC define public interest in digital broadcasting

Minimums of local civic and electoral discourse, educational and
informational children's programming, and safeguards to protect children
required

     WASHINGTON, DC -- Addressing the House Subcommittee on
Telecommunications and the Internet, former FCC commissioner Gloria
Tristani today (June 2) encouraged the Congress to require the Federal
Communications Commission "to take advantage of the transition to digital
to reestablish meaningful public interest obligations for America's
television broadcasters."

     Tristani, Managing Director of the Office of Communication of the
United Church of Christ, Inc. (OC, Inc.), stressed that clearly-defined
public interest guidelines must be in place before the FCC makes decisions
on the transition from analog to digital broadcasting.

     Currently, the FCC's Media Bureau has a proposal to speed up the
conversion to digital, thus freeing up the valuable analog spectrum
currently held by broadcasters. Portions of the freed-up analog spectrum
will be used by communities and police departments for public safety and
emergency communication.

     "The public deserves to know what benefits it will get from the
digital largesse that has been gifted to broadcasters," said Tristani.
"That benefit should include reasonable minimums of local civic and
electoral discourse ? and for children, commensurate amounts of educational
and informational programming, a prohibition of commercial website links
embedded in children's programming and incorporation of children's privacy
protections."

     Tristani included in her statement a proposal from the Public
Interest, Public Airwaves Coalition, of which OC, Inc. is a part. The
proposal seeks to ensure that broadcasters air a minimum of three hours per
week of local civic or electoral affairs programming on the most-watched
channels they operate, with 50 percent of that programming airing between 5
p.m. and 11:35 p.m. Tristani cited an October 2003 Alliance for Better
Campaign analysis which found that, in a typical week, only 0.4 percent of
TV programming was devoted to local public affairs. Conversely, 14.4
percent of the broadcasting schedule was paid programming (home shopping
and infomercials), 9.9 percent was reality or game shows and 7.9 percent
was sporting events.

     The OC, Inc. managing director also encouraged the House Subcommittee
to consider whether the benefits of quickly freeing up the analog spectrum
outweigh the harm to consumers that may be "left in the dark, with outdated
equipment." She also asked the Subcommittee, "What provisions will be made
for consumers that rely exclusively on over-the-air free television?"

     In addition, Tristani urged the FCC to ensure that broadcasters honor
their obligations to children and their families in the digital age.  She
advocated that the current three percent of time broadcasters give over to
educational and informational programming for children between 7 a.m. and
10 p.m. remain in place after the digital transition, when broadcasters
will have the potential to multicast up to six channel streams. She also
expressed caution over the marketing methods that could be employed on
digital television.

     "Already, advertisers are trying new ways to reach consumers,
including using interactive advertising technologies to target children,"
Tristani said. "Young children ? lack the reasoning ability to understand
that advertising may be biased and exaggerated."

     She cited "advergaming," which encourages children to play Internet
games advertising certain products. Some advergames permit advertisers to
monitor players without their knowledge, which Tristani said causes concern
about online privacy. Tristani said the Children's Online Privacy and
Protection Act, passed by Congress in 1998, should be incorporated into the
digital television transition.

     The OC, Inc. managing director also submitted a proposal by the
Children's Media Policy Coalition that included a recommendation to use
"datacasting" technology. Such technology could provide parents with
program ratings and enhanced programming information to help them guide
their children's television viewing.

     The Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ, Inc. (OC,
Inc.) was established in 1959. Throughout its 45-year history, OC, Inc. has
advocated for persons historically excluded from the media, especially
women and people of color; petitioned the FCC to issue EEO rules; sought to
guarantee educational and informational children's programming; defended
the Equal Time Rule for political candidates; supported efforts to
establish low-power FM radio; protected affordable access to emerging
technologies; and urged strengthening of basic corporate character
requirements for those who transmit images and data.

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[EDITORS and PRODUCERS: The complete texts of Gloria Tristani's June 2,
2004, testimony before the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the
Internet can be found at ocinc.ucc.org.]