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(3) the technology, and availability thereof, needed to establish and implement such a channel; and

(4) the best means of providing financing for the establishment and implementation of a ready-to-learn channel.

CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING REPORT ON DISTANCE LEARNING

SEC. 18. (a) The Congress finds that

(1) distance learning would provide schools in rural areas with advanced or specialized instruction not readily available; (2) utilization of distance learning can end some school closings or consolidations;

(3) distance learning will play a vital role in accomplishing the goals of "America 2000" as established by the President;

(4) the Corporation for Public Broadcasting should promote distance learning projects where it is cost effective; and

(5) the Corporation for Public Broadcasting can promote distance learning by helping reduce the costs associated with telecommunications services.

(b) Within 180 days following the date of the enactment of this Act, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, in consultation with other education program providers and users, shall report to the Congress as to the most effective use of their existing telecommunications facilities to establish and implement distance learning projects in rural areas. Such report should include, among other things, the costs and benefits of establishing national demonstration sites to study new distance learning tools and to evaluate the most effective use of current distance learning applications; any incentives necessary to provide access to Corporation for Public Broadcasting facilities for distance learning applications.

OBJECTIVITY AND BALANCE POLICY, PROCEDURES, AND REPORT

SEC. 19. [47 U.S.C. 396 nt] Pursuant to the existing responsibility of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting under section 396(g)(1)(A) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 396(g)(1)(A)) to facilitate the full development of public telecommunications in which programs of high quality, diversity, creativity, excellence, and innovation, which are obtained from diverse sources, will be made available to public telecommunications entities, with strict adherence to objectivity and balance in all programs or series of programs of a controversial nature, the Board of Directors of the Corporation shall

(1) review the Corporation's existing efforts to meet its responsibility under section 396(g)(1)(A);

(2) after soliciting the views of the public, establish a comprehensive policy and set of procedures to

(A) provide reasonable opportunity for members of the public to present comments to the Board regarding the quality, diversity, creativity, excellence, innovation, objectivity, and balance of public broadcasting services, including all public broadcasting programming of a controversial nature, as well as any needs not met by those services;

(B) review, on a regular basis, national public broadcasting programming for quality, diversity, creativity, excellence, innovation, objectivity, and balance, as well as for any needs not met by such programming;

(C) on the basis of information received through such comment and review, take such steps in awarding programming grants pursuant to clauses (ii)(II), (iii)(II), and (iii)(III) of section 396(k)(3)(A) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 396(k)(3)(A)) that it finds necessary to meet the Corporation's responsibility under section 396(g)(1)(A), including facilitating objectivity and balance in programming of a controversial nature; and

(D) disseminate among public broadcasting entities information about its efforts to address concerns about objectivity and balance relating to programming of a controversial nature so that such entities can utilize the Corporation's experience in addressing such concerns within their own operations; and

(3) starting in 1993, by January 31 of each year, prepare and submit to the President for transmittal to the Congress a report summarizing its efforts pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2).

CONSUMER INFORMATION

SEC. 20. [47 U.S.C. 396 nt] Prior to the expiration of the 90day period following the date of the enactment of this Act, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, in consultation with representatives of public broadcasting entities, shall develop guidelines to assure that program credits for public television programs that receive production funding directly from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting adequately disclose that all or a portion of the cost of producing such program was paid for by funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and that indicates in some manner that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is partially funded from Federal tax revenues.

INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION SERVICE FUNDING

SEC. 21. [47 U.S.C. 396 nt] In making available funding pursuant to authorizations under this Act, any independent production service established under section 396(k) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 396(k)) shall, to the maximum extent practicable and consistent with the provisions of the Communications Act of 1934, provide such funding to eligible recipients and projects representing the widest possible geographic distribution, with the objective of providing funding to eligible recipients and projects in each State from which qualified proposals are received over the course of such authorizations.

EFFECTIVE DATE

SEC. 22. [47 U.S.C. 396 nt] Section 5(a) shall take effect on January 31, 1996. All other provisions of this Act are effective on its date of enactment.

CABLE TELEVISION CONSUMER PROTECTION AND COMPETITION ACT OF 1992

CABLE TELEVISION CONSUMER PROTECTION AND
COMPETITION ACT OF 1992

To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to provide increased consumer protection and to promote increased competition in the cable television and related markets, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. [47 U.S.C. 609 nt] SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the "Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992". 1

SEC. 2. [47 U.S.C. 521 nt] FINDINGS; POLICY; DEFINITIONS.

(a) FINDINGS.-The Congress finds and declares the following: (1) Pursuant to the Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984, rates for cable television services have been deregulated in approximately 97 percent of all franchises since December 29, 1986. Since rate deregulation, monthly rates for the lowest priced basic cable service have increased by 40 percent or more for 28 percent of cable television subscribers. Although the average number of basic channels has increased from about 24 to 30, average monthly rates have increased by 29 percent during the same period. The average monthly cable rate has increased almost 3 times as much as the Consumer Price Index since rate deregulation.

(2) For a variety of reasons, including local franchising requirements and the extraordinary expense of constructing more than one cable television system to serve a particular geographic area, most cable television subscribers have no opportunity to select between competing cable systems. Without the presence of another multichannel video programming distributor, a cable system faces no local competition. The result is undue market power for the cable operator as compared to that of consumers and video programmers.

(3) There has been a substantial increase in the penetration of cable television systems over the past decade. Nearly 56,000,000 households, over 60 percent of the households with televisions, subscribe to cable television, and this percentage is almost certain to increase. As a result of this growth, the cable television industry has become a dominant nationwide video medium.

(4) The cable industry has become highly concentrated. The potential effects of such concentration are barriers to entry for new programmers and a reduction in the number of media voices available to consumers.

1 Public Law 102-385, 106 Stat. 1460, approved Oct. 5, 1992.

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