Council heads bid to pull plug on V-chip plan

Date: 16/01/1997

By Simon Coss

A CONTROVERSIAL computer chip capable of screening out violent or pornographic material from television transmissions is at the centre of a dispute between the Council of Ministers and MEPs over the future regulation of Europe's broadcasting industry.

The argument has triggered a round of conciliation talks between the two sides, due to begin later this month, over amendments to the 1989 Television Without Frontiers Directive.

The so-called 'V-chip' works by recognising encoded ratings much the same as the current categories for cinema films within the broadcast signal, enabling parents to block out material they do not want their children to see.

The system has been in operation in parts of Canada and the US for the past year. Parliamentarians are keen for the Union to follow the North American example, but the Council disagrees.

Ministers argue that cultural differences between EU member states would make such a set-up impractical and are pushing instead for a widening of the 'red triangle' system currently used in some Union countries.

Under this scheme, potentially offensive material is broadcast with a small symbol (usually a square or triangle) superimposed in one corner of the screen.

The European Commission is also opposed to the introduction of the V-chip. Audio-visual Commissioner Marcelino Oreja has warned that adopting it could absolve broadcasters from the responsibility to ensure they transmit acceptable programmes, putting the onus of regulation entirely on parents.

On a practical level, the institution points to the difficulty of coming up with a pan-European ratings system.

“Do you honestly think it would be possible for Sweden and Portugal to agree on what constitutes 'level-five' sex?” said one Commission audio-visual expert.

As a way of breaking the current deadlock between the Parliament and Council, the Commission is proposing to launch a detailed feasibility study into European application of the V-chip.

The industry itself echoes the Commission's sentiments and favours a self-regulatory approach.

“We do not think this is the solution. Indeed, the V-chip could be used by broadcasters as a pretext to transmit more violence and pornography,” said Jacques Briquemont of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which represents the Union's public service broadcasters.

“I do not think the V-chip would alter very much. The more liberal parents will not change their ways because of it,” said Daniel Zimmermann of the Association of Commercial Television in Europe (ACT), a lobby group for many commercial and pay-TV channels.

During the conciliation talks, the two sides will also examine ways of ensuring that 'key' sporting events such as the UK's FA Cup or France's Tour de France are made available to the maximum number of television viewers.

Both sides agree that such events should not only be screened on pay-TV services such as Sky in the UK or Canal± in France. Problems remain, however, over how these key events should be designated.

MEPs are calling for an EU-wide list of such competitions to be drawn up. But ministers claim this would not take account of differing national sporting tastes. For its part, the Commission is proposing a system of mutual recognition of free broadcasts.

“In the UK, people would consider an international cricket match a key event, but I do not think there would be much interest in other member states,” commented one Commission official.

Within the industry, opinions are not surprisingly divided along private-public lines.

“Major sporting events should be available to as many viewers as possible. We are not asking for privileges to be granted to public service broadcasters, but to the viewing public,” said Briquemont. He added that the EBU had no objection to sporting events being carried by free private channels, such as France's TF1, so long as they reached the widest-possible audience.

The ACT, on the other hand, opposes EU-level legislation on the issue. “The organisers of sporting events are the ones who sell the rights. How they earn their revenue is up to them,” insisted Zimmermann.