The following statement was issued by Patti Miller, vice president of Children Now, in reaction to today’s Federal Communications Commission vote to open for public comment the revised digital television rules agreed to by children’s advocates and the broadcast and cable companies.

“Children Now is pleased that the Federal Communications Commission is moving forward toward a final ruling on the digital television rules. We are hopeful that the public will recognize that the rule revisions recommended by the Children’s Media Policy Coalition and representatives from the broadcast and cable industries are of tremendous benefit to children. These rules not only serve to provide significantly more educational programming to children as broadcasters increase their programming capacity with the digital transition, but they also serve to protect children from the harmful effects of excessive advertising. We look forward to the Commission’s final vote on these rules in the coming months.”