V-chip
V-chip is a technology used in television set receivers in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and the United States, that allows the blocking of programs based on their ratings category.
[1] Since the idea for blocking programs in this way was patented and tested in Canada by Brett West and John P. Gardner in 1994,[2] many devices using V-chip technology have been produced.
[5] By contrast, in an interview with Tim Collings, one of the people who claim to have invented the device, he said that it was intended to stand for "viewer control".
[6] In 1975, the Family Viewing Hour was introduced in the United States, in which broadcasters had to play TV content suitable for all ages.
The inventor of the V-chip technology originally meant for it to be a simple tool that parents could use to restrict their children's television viewing.
[8] "Tim Collings' creation holds promise in the future of the television industry, and the more exposure achieved, the more nations are able to benefit."
This is where Al Gore first became familiarized with the concept of the V-Chip and the exposure helped him to advise Bill Clinton, which led to the decision to pass the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
[9] Once the V-Chip gained the ability to block multiple shows at the same time interest in the technology expanded significantly.
[citation needed] Jackson conducted an independent study in Southern Oregon to determine the effects of television on violence.
The portion of the overall act that affects the V-chip is of Title V.[15] This section, "Obscenity and Violence," addresses the influence parents may have over their children's viewing capabilities on cable television.
In 1996, the United States Congress decreed that the television industry should create a voluntary rating system for its shows called the TV parental guidelines.
[16] Along with the three founding associations, the chairman of the FCC would select five members of the advocacy community to participate in establishing television ratings.
An idea for blocking programs in this way was patented by Brett West and John P. Gardner in 1994[2] and tested in Canada.
[2] Two others separately patented devices similar or identical to the V-chip: John Olivo of Parental Guide of Omaha, and an Air Force captain by the name of Carl Elam.
[5] On April 25, 2007, the Federal Communications Commission released a report entitled In the Matter of Violent Television Programming And Its Impact On Children.
[8] The American Civil Liberties Union argues, "Research has not proven that watching violence on television causes watchers to commit violence" citing the Federal Trade Commission's Marketing Violent Entertainment to Children: A Review of the Self-Regulation and Industry Practices in the Motion Picture, Music Recording, & Electronic Game Industries report in September 2001 as support.
While the V-chip is fairly inexpensive to add to individual television sets, a large amount of money has been spent educating people on the technology.
Caroline Fredrickson, of the American Civil Liberties Union, stated, "These FCC recommendations are political pandering.
[17] Tim Winters, the Executive director for the Parents Television Council stated, "What I see is a solution that's flawed at every level.
"[23] From 1999 to 2001, a research study was conducted at the University of Pennsylvania Annenberg Public Policy Center to observe the use of the V-chip in family households.
When Congressman Ed Markey, chair of the House Telecommunications Subcommittee, introduced the first V-chip legislation, he told the press that parents "will be given the power to send a message directly to the industry.
They found in June 2007 that the majority of parents personally monitor their children's television viewing in some way, whether through use of the V-chip or other means.
"America's families will be now the ultimate judges of [the new ratings system's] effectiveness," said Lois Joan White, Parent-Teacher Association president, in 1997 in support of V-chip technology.
[34] Due to the increasing variety of technology that is being developed and used in the household, however, parents are concerned that their children will be exposed to the same content they are trying to block through unrated commercials.
[36] In order to give children some protection from seeing inappropriate commercials, certain improvements to the V-Chip should be made that can follow the same standard across all areas of media that include "broadcast, cable, satellite, DVRs and, to the extent possible, the Internet.
