The Motion Picture Association (MPA), the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), and the NCTA – The Internet & Television Association (NCTA) have made a joint filing with the Federal Communications Commission defending the current system of TV ratings for children's programming.
“The TV Parental Guidelines continue to provide an effective tool to help parents and caregivers to make informed viewing choices about age-appropriate programming,” the joint filing concluded. “The Monitoring Board plays a vital role in fostering consistent TV ratings across broadcast, cable, and streaming platforms. The Board is committed to continuing working diligently to further promote consistency and transparency in ratings and support public understanding of the TV.”
The filing also stressed that “at the outset, we agree with the Media Bureau that parents must be empowered to make informed choices when it comes to the type of television programs that are appropriate for their children. As discussed below, the Monitoring Board and the voluntary TV Parental Guidelines are doing just that. Indeed, the Guidelines are a widely recognized, well understood, and broadly used tool to help parents and caregivers make informed decisions about the television programs their children watch. The television industry carefully developed this decades-old TV ratings system and continues to seek feedback from stakeholders and refine ratings practices.”
The filing provides extensive detail on how the system works and how the Monitoring Board actively seeks feedback from parents to refine its work.
The joint response pointedly avoids the most controversial question raised by the FCC’s Media Bureau in its Public Notice requesting public comments on how the system might be improved. .
In an April 2026 Public Notice, the FCC’s Media Bureau said that it was examining a number of issues related to TV ratings and warning labels, including the issue of how the current system deals with LGBTQ+ and transgender related content.
“Recently, parents have raised concerns that controversial gender identity issues are being included or promoted in children’s programs without providing any disclosure or transparency to parents,” the FCC’s Public Notice said.
That prompted a number of filings by conservative politicians and groups, including U.S. Senator Senator Jim Banks (Ind.-R), Center for American Rights President Daniel Suhr and the Concerned Women for America, calling for updates that would flag content with LGBTQ and transgender themes. Separately, 13 Republican state attorneys general filed comments urging the FCC to create a separate system where viewers could rate programs.
In response, more than 40 organizations and industry associations, including Free Press, have filed comments opposing the idea. In its filing the public interest group Free Press argues that the FCC lacks the authority to change the current system and that efforts to add the labels would silence LGBTA+ voices.
The full MPA, NAB, NCTA filing can be found here.
