Senate Commerce Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., on Thursday re-introduced his bill to instruct the National Academy of Sciences to study the impact of violent media, including movies and video games, on children. Rockefeller first introduced the legislation in the wake of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.; his proposal received a boost when President Obama also proposed further research into the relationship between violent media and actual violence during his second inaugural address. Still, any policy restricting violence in the media appears unlikely to pass a constitutional test in the near future, as last year the Supreme Court ruled that only sexual content, and not violence, is considered obscene and exempt from the First Amendment.
Specifically, Rockefeller's bill would direct NAS to conduct a comprehensive, long-term study to determine if media violence has any lasting harmful effects on children. It would specifically study whether the interactive nature of video games has a unique impact and direct NAS to submit a report and recommend further areas for research within 15 months. Those recommendations would be submitted to Congress and several agencies including the Federal Trade Commission and FCC, which suggests that Rockefeller believes the research will produce actionable recommendations. Rockefeller is among a handful of members who have long suggested that the amount of violence in video games and TV could be harmful to children, and his point of view appears to be rising in popularity in the wake of the latest spate of mass shootings. However, researchers have previously struggled to conclusively prove that exposure to violent media at an early age produces aggression or violence in children.
Markey Worried About Disney Bracelets: Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., wrote to Disney on Thursday (PDF) expressing concern about the company's plan to offer new bracelets at its theme parks that could potentially be used to track and collect information about guests. The bracelets would be used as a payment source and room key and to access a variety of services. Markey argues children should be allowed to meet Mickey Mouse without having to surrender their personal information. Markey has been a leader on privacy issues for many years and plans to re-introduce legislation that would strengthen privacy protections for minors in the coming months. He is also considered a front-runner for the Senate seat being vacated by Secretary of State nominee John Kerry, one of the chief privacy hawks in the Senate. NAB, Wireless Carriers Agree on Auction Terms: The National Association of Broadcasters and the major wireless companies have agreed to a set of technical principles (PDF) to support the upcoming spectrum incentive auction, which will transfer airwaves from local TV stations to the national wireless carriers. The principles, which include relying on 5 MHz blocks of spectrum and avoiding any action in the duplex gap or guard bands, are designed to prevent interference with both TV and wireless networks. The spectrum auction is slated to take place in 2014, assuming the FCC can complete preparations by then. However, Congress and the Obama administration have already started planning for further spectrum re-allocation, anticipating that the upcoming auction will not free up enough airwaves to satisfy the rising demand of wireless consumers for mobile data services. Facebook CEO To Host Fundraiser for Chris Christie: Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg will host a fundraiser for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Feb. 13, evidence of the Republican's strong standing heading into his re-election campaign. Zuckerberg and his wife will host the fundraiser at his home; the Facebook mogul has already donated $100 million to the Newark school system. Facebook has increasingly reached out to politicians on both sides of the aisle since setting up its first PAC last year.