Markey Pressing Ahead for ‘V-Chip’ : Legislation: A trade group is considering endorsing technology that would block violent programming, but networks are balking.

Although most on Capitol Hill are willing to see how the new violence monitors work, Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) is pressing ahead with legislation that would require manufacturers to install a “V-chip” in every television set, enabling viewers to block out violent programming.

Markey, chairman of the telecommunications subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, author of the law requiring that all TV sets manufactured after July, 1993, be equipped to receive closed-caption broadcasts for hearing-impaired people, now wants to see the same technology used to produce TV receivers that can recognize and respond to program content ratings.

“The pattern, beginning in the 1950s, is that the broadcasters begin to push the limits of what is acceptable to the public; Congress reacts to the public concern about the level of violence, and then the industry reduces violence for a season or two,” Markey said. “That’s beginning to happen again. But we need to break this cycle. We need to give the parent the tools to protect their children, no matter where the industry is in the cycle.”

A key subcommittee of the Electronic Industries Assn. voted at a meeting in Chicago last July to endorse the blocking technology, despite vigorous opposition from the broadcast networks. The issue will go up for vote again in October before the full engineering committee.

“If the Electronic Industries Assn. agrees to do this voluntarily, there will be no legislation,” Markey said.

The only hitch is that for the V-chip to do any good, the broadcast and cable TV industry must join the movement and transmit their programming with a special code to flag violent programs so the V-chip can filter them out.

At this point, Markey is asking TV executives to “voluntarily” agree to encode their violent programming. They already include on-air advisories about violent programs, he notes: “All I’m asking is that they send the advisories electronically.”

The cable networks have announced that they will support the V-chip technology if their broadcast brethren do. And therein lies the rub. The broadcast networks say they will not comply. They gave in and agreed to fund the violence monitoring for three years but won’t give ground in this instance, insists Martin Franks, a CBS senior vice president.

“We do oppose a chip that, for example, will block out ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ but will also block out ‘Lonesome Dove,’ ” Franks said. “The V-chip has a bit of an autopilot aspect we find very troubling.

“To say nothing of the fact that we think it’s the first step on a very slippery slope to censorship. Yeah, I know it’s voluntary . And yet the same people who are so loudly claiming it’s voluntary are in a position to take it out on us if we don’t comply.”