[FYI] U.S.: Rep. Ed Markey says "I think there could be a very strong case made for a universal rating system for everything bu

["Axel H Horns" <horns@ipjur.com>]

http://www.wired.com/news/print/0,1294,38913,00.html

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House Dem Into Ratings Regs 
by Declan McCullagh 

3:00 a.m. Sep. 22, 2000 PDT 

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Ed Markey doesn't just hope the Democrats will 
seize control of the U.S. House of Representatives. He's certain of 
it.  

"I'm only six weeks away from being chairman again," grins Markey, 
the ranking Democrat on the House telecommunications subcommittee. 
The panel oversees Internet and consumer privacy issues.   

If the Republicans lose their House majority, the partisan shift 
toward the left is likely to mean more regulation of technology and 
corporations. And Markey, a 24-year veteran legislator from 
Massachusetts, already knows just what he wants to do.  

"I think there could be a very strong case made for a universal 
rating system for everything but television," Markey said at a Media 
Institute luncheon this week.  

As for TV, Markey said, the existing rating system should be 
expanded.  

"Every person in this room knows there's a relationship between what 
kids see on television and what they do," he said. "You can't on the 
one hand say we're going to have this great digital revolution ... 
and at the same time we can't give parents the ability to program 
their set."  

A recent poll by USA Today/CNN/Gallup suggests the race for the House 
will be an unusually close one this year. The GOP currently holds a 
13-seat majority, which means that just seven congressional districts 
hold the balance of power.  

Subcommittee chairmen, who are appointed by the House leadership, are 
powerful creatures. They can convene hearings on controversial 
topics, forward bills to the House floor for a vote, and block 
legislation with which they disagree.  

[...]

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