FAQ
- How does the cable industry help families manage TV content and make responsible viewing decisions?
- How are cable companies promoting the tools available to families to make responsible viewing decisions?
- What are some basic principles for responsible viewing?
- What media literacy resources are available?
- How can parents determine if TV programs are appropriate for family viewing?
- How does the TV ratings systems work?
- What tools can a cable operator provide to enable parents to block certain channels from being viewed in their homes?
- How can digital cable subscribers block channels from being viewed in their homes?
- How can basic cable (analog) customers with a set-top box block a cable channel from being viewed?
- Can cable customers block specific programs, without blocking a whole channel?
- How can parents get more specific information about blocking channels and programs?
- How does the V-Chip work, and does that help block unwanted content?
- How is a “premium” channel different from a “basic” channel?
- Why can’t cable customers choose to pay for only the channels they want to see in their homes?
- Why shouldn’t cable networks be subject to the same fines that broadcast networks face if they air “indecent” content?
- How does the cable industry help families manage TV content and make responsible viewing decisions?
- How are cable companies promoting the tools available to families to make responsible viewing decisions?
- What are some basic principles for responsible viewing?
- Take a look at how your family uses television. When and what do you watch? What do you do while watching? What do you not do because you are watching TV?
- Develop a family media strategy. Start by being purposeful viewers. Don’t just turn the TV on. Instead, use program descriptions and TV ratings to help select the programs your family will watch.
- Become an active viewer, not a couch potato. Question what you are seeing and hearing. Talk back to your TV—make sure your children know when you disagree with something on a television show or commercial.
- Watch TV with your children and ask them what they’re thinking and feeling as they watch. Make sure they know what’s real and what isn’t and can tell you if a program’s primary goal is to tell you something or sell you something.
- Educate yourself about media literacy and responsible viewing. Learn more at the Web sites that follow.
- What media literacy resources are available?
- Center For Media Literacy
The Center for Media Literacy is the largest producer and distributor of media literacy resources in the U.S. Its site features a comprehensive online catalog of media literacy books and products, along with a “reading room” of articles. - The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation conducts research, evaluations and analysis on the impact of media on the public’s health with a particular focus on the exposure to and the impact of media on young people. Of special interest are the Foundation’s studies on families and media, as well as a series of fact sheets on media and health issues.
- National PTA
The National PTA is the nation’s largest volunteer child advocacy organization and is a leading group in helping parents learn about media. - FCC's “Parents’ Place”
The FCC provides an array of information to help parents and caregivers deal with, decipher, and monitor the communications that their children can access. - Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization, that provides trustworthy reviews and ratings of media from a child development perspective, parenting tips about media management. - How can parents determine if TV programs are appropriate for family viewing?
- How does the TV ratings systems work?
- What tools can a cable operator provide to enable parents to block certain channels from being viewed in their homes?
- How can digital cable subscribers block channels from being viewed in their homes?
- Channel blocking – you may select an individual channel or several channels you wish to block. The channel(s) will be blocked at all times unless viewing is authorized by entering a Personal Identification Number (PIN), a code number which acts as a password and is typically selected and retained by an adult member of the household.
- Time and Date – you may select the date, time and channel you wish to block.
- TV Parental Guidelines – you may block programs based on their TV ratings. For example, if “TV-14” is selected, programs with this rating, regardless of the channel on which they air, will be blocked. (Not all programs have been assigned ratings. Some forms of programming, such as live sports contests, newscasts, or public affairs programming, may not be rated, and therefore cannot be blocked on a program-by-program basis.)
- MPAA Movie Ratings – you may block movies based on their movie ratings. All movies in a selected rating will be blocked, regardless of the channel on which they air.
- Adult Titles in Program Guide Listing – the cable operator’s electronic program guide includes the title of programs, including premium service and Video-On-Demand programs. Some program guides feature the ability to “hide” titles that are intended for adult audiences.
- How can basic cable (analog) customers with a set-top box block a cable channel from being viewed?
Most advanced analog boxes have the ability to block user-selected channels. To block a channel, you create a PIN code using the set-top box’s remote control or keypad. Other users who then view programs through that cable box cannot view the blocked channel(s) or change the selected controls without entering the PIN password.
An alternative method that some cable companies use for blocking analog channels is an electronic filter that “traps” out a particular channel. This filter is physically installed on the cable equipment outside your home and provides complete blocking of the channel until the device is removed.
- Can cable customers block specific programs, without blocking a whole channel?
Most digital set-top boxes allow you to block individual programs or movies based on their TV or movie rating. “Cable ready” television sets equipped with a V-Chip also provide an opportunity to block certain programs. All television sets with screens 13 inches or larger sold after January 2000 – roughly 100 million to date – contain V-Chip technology (see more information below). Earlier television sets and analog set-top boxes may not offer the ability to block certain programs.
- How can parents get more specific information about blocking channels and programs?
- How does the V-Chip work, and does that help block unwanted content?
- How is a “premium” channel different from a “basic” channel?
- Why can’t cable customers choose to pay for only the channels they want to see in their homes?
- Why shouldn’t cable networks be subject to the same fines that broadcast networks face if they air “indecent” content?
With hundreds of channels to choose from, cable provides you the greatest choice in entertainment and information available today. Cable offers many channels that serve children and family viewers and provide educational, informative and entertainment programming. This choice ensures families can find suitable programming to watch any time of the day.
Combined with this great choice is the opportunity for you to control the programming that is viewed within your home. Cable set-top boxes feature easy-to-use parental controls to enable parents and caregivers to block channels that may be inappropriate for children. If you don’t have a set-top box, your cable operator will provide equipment capable of blocking channels free of charge.
Additionally, V-Chip technology built into many television sets, used in conjunction with the TV program and movie ratings systems, allows you to block programs you feel may not be suitable for your family. These ratings systems also provide you with guidance on the suitability for families of many programs on television. These tools give families many options for managing viewing in their homes.
Most cable networks apply TV rating and content labels to their programming, put the appropriate rating icon on-screen at the beginning of every program, and encode their ratings in programming with appropriate V-Chip codes so it can interpreted by V-Chip equipped television sets.
Cable companies are working to educate you about the availability of these tools by providing information in welcome kits for new customers, on company Web sites, and in instructional programs featured on some channels. For more than a decade, cable networks and operators have worked to educate viewers about how to take charge of the diverse content available to them on cable television. Since 1994, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), Cable in the Classroom (CIC) (the cable industry’s educational foundation), and the National PTA have collaborated on a national “media literacy” initiative designed to provide parents, caregivers and teachers with the knowledge and skills they need to understand media and make informed judgments about its use.
In March of 2004, the cable industry launched a multi-faceted consumer education campaign called Cable Puts You in Control to alert you about the tools and resources cable provides, so you can control programming that comes into your home and make educated and responsible decisions about television viewing.
A major component of the initiative is a Web site, www.ControlYourTV.org. The site features information on cable’s blocking technology, descriptions of family-friendly cable programming, and resources devoted to media literacy and education. Usage of the ControlYourTV.org site from its launch in March 2004 through February 2005 included nearly 400,000 sessions, with more than 1,000,000 pages viewed. Top downloads were the TV Parental Guidelines (downloaded 9,620 times) and blocking directions for cable boxes (downloaded 6,000 times). A Spanish-language version of the site, available at www.controlesutelevisor.org, was also launched.
In addition, Public Service Announcements promoting the availability of cable’s channel blocking technology were aired by cable operators and networks more than 3.6 million times over the past year, a figure that represents hundreds of millions of dollars in donated commercial airtime.
Other components in the initiative include customer communications materials for use by cable companies in their local communities and Media Smart Families workshops sponsored in local communities by CIC and the National PTA.
Organizations such as the American Psychological Association and American Academy of Pediatrics recommend families become “media literate.” That means being thoughtful and engaged viewers, critically examining and questioning what you see and hear. Here are some simple ways to get started.
Information on media literacy is available from Cable in the Classroom at www.ciconline.org/mediasmart, or write Cable in the Classroom, 25 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20001.
In addition to Cable in the Classroom, the organizations below offer media literacy resources, including tips for parents, teachers and caregivers:
There are many ways to learn about the programming available on cable television. You can begin by reading descriptions of television programs in your local newspaper listings (some newspapers also print TV ratings), in weekly television publications, or through the interactive program guide available in many areas with cable service. TV Guide online also provides information about TV programs, including their TV ratings, and contains a Family Guide of programming appropriate for children and families. A program’s TV rating appears in the upper left hand corner of the screen for the first 15 seconds of a program (except news and sports, which are not rated).
Of course, every child and family is different. Program descriptions and TV ratings can help you determine if a program is consistent with your child’s emotional and intellectual capabilities and with your own family values. The right information, thoughtful decisions, and using your own good judgment are the keys to selecting programs that are appropriate, entertaining and informative for your family.
To help consumers make informed viewing decisions, cable and broadcast networks voluntarily apply TV ratings to their programming (news and sports are not rated). Ratings fall into two main categories – children’s programming and general audience programming.
There are two ratings for children’s programming:
* TV-Y - designed for children of all ages
* TV-Y7 - intended for children over the age of seven, who are better able to distinguish between make-believe and reality
There are four ratings for general audiences:
* TV-G - appropriate for all ages
* TV-PG - warrants parental guidance
* TV-14 - contains material that parents or caregivers may find unsuitable for children under age 14
* TV-MA - specifically designed for adults and may be unsuitable for children under age 17
Additionally, specific content labels may be added to the ratings, where appropriate:
Children’s programming:
* FV - fantasy violence
General audience programming:
* D - suggestive dialogue
* L - strong language
* S - sexual situations
* V - violence
While these ratings icons are visible generally only at the start of each program, networks also encode this information in their signals so it can be “read” by V-Chip equipped television sets.
The most common method to block programming is through the use of a set-top box. Many analog and all digital set-top boxes feature parental controls that allow you to block specific channels. In addition, most digital set-top boxes provide even more advanced parental control features that can block individual programs based on things like content, title and rating (see more information about digital controls below).
An alternative method that some cable companies use to block channels is an electronic filter that “traps” out a particular channel. This filter is physically installed on the cable equipment outside your home and provides complete blocking of the channel until the device is removed.
For more information on blocking channels and programs, contact your local cable operator or visit www.ControlYourTV.org.
Digital set-top boxes provide the most advanced “parental control” capabilities. Although specific functions of digital set-top boxes vary by manufacturer and model, typical features may include:
Visit www.ControlYourTV.org or contact your local cable company to determine the options available in your area.
Each manufacturer’s V-Chip works a little differently, but provides generally the same protections. Once you understand the definition of each rating and content label under the TV Parental Guidelines rating system, programming and activating the V-Chip is relatively simple and can be found in one of two places: 1) the television on-screen menu options, or 2) the written instruction guide included in the owner's manual of the television set.
The V-Chip can block programming by age-based category or content label, as well as motion pictures on premium channels that use the movie rating system.
Premium channels, which are optional and sold individually, are offered to customers for an additional fee as an enhancement to the cable package to which the customer subscribes. Premium channels typically aren’t advertiser supported and derive most of their revenue from subscriber fees.
For example, networks like CNN, Discovery Channel and ESPN are advertiser-supported channels available as part of the “basic” cable service, while HBO, Showtime and STARZ! are premium channels. Premium channels frequently run motion pictures that are uncut and unedited.
Like many other products and services, cable television is sold as a bundle that provides you with a wide array of choices. It is this bundle of channels that provides you with the greatest value for your monthly service charge. You do have the choice of subscribing to different bundles, or tiers of cable TV service, such as “Basic,” “Expanded Basic,” “Digital,” etc., as well as to individual premium channels and video-on-demand.
Some have suggested that basic cable networks should be sold on an unbundled, or “a la carte,” basis in which you would only pay for the networks to which you subscribe. However, several independent and industry studies have concluded that a la carte would offer no benefit to the vast majority of consumers and would, in fact, result in higher prices, less choice and diminished programming diversity.
In November of 2004, the FCC issued a report that found that “government intervention through a la carte regulation likely will hurt MPVDs (multichannel video programming distributors), program networks, and especially MVPD subscribers.” This report followed on the Government Accountability Office findings in 2003 that a la carte could result in higher prices for fewer channels. Also, a study conducted by the worldwide consulting firm of Booz Allen Hamilton, released in July of 2004, found that if an a la carte system were to be developed, even if no consumers were to choose a voluntary a la carte option, consumer prices for current tiers would increase between 7 percent and 15 percent.
Laws governing the communications and media industry have historically treated over-the-air broadcasting and cable differently because of the fundamental distinctions between the services. Specifically, broadcasters deliver unfiltered programming free over the public airwaves, while cable is a subscription-based “opt in” service delivered over a private network that offers its customers tools to block unwanted programming.
The U.S. Supreme Court has concluded that the blocking technology provided by cable affords it different regulatory treatment than unfiltered, over-the-air broadcast signals. In a recent court ruling governing indecency , the U.S. Supreme Court found that for purposes of a First Amendment analysis of indecency restrictions, the “key difference” between cable operators and broadcasters is that “cable systems have the capacity to block unwanted channels on a household-by-household basis.” The Court explained that “targeted blocking is less restrictive than banning, and the Government cannot ban speech if targeted blocking is a feasible and effective means of furthering its compelling interests.”
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