Senate to Look at Impact of Indecency on Kids

Sen. Rockefeller says he wants to study indecency impact as well as violence

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 2/27/2013 10:05:50 AM

Senate Commerce Committee chairman Jay Rockefeller says he will make studying the impact of indecent media on children one of his key priorities in the new Congress.

That came in a list of those priorities released Wednesday. Also on the list, as expected, is studying the impact of violent media on kids. He has introduced a bill to that effect in the wake of the Newtown mass shooting.

Also on the list of priorities are 1) overseeing the emergency communications network he motormanned and which is being funded through broadcast incentive auctions; 2) closing the digital divide for both wired and wireless broadband and in schools and via E-rate; and 3) safeguarding consumer privacy, including "an investigation into the business practices of companies that collect and sell consumer data."

"I am confident that this Committee, with its long history of bipartisan cooperation, can take on these priorities to make a meaningful difference in the lives of all Americans," Rockefeller said in a statement.