RIO DE JANEIRO -- Brazil is implementing a parental control TV system similar to that in the U.S.
President Fernando Henrique Cardoso has signed a bill that requires all new TV sets, manufactured locally or imported, to be equipped with a device similar to the V chip, effective Dec. 28.
About 37.6 million of Brazil's 42.8 million homes have TVs, according to a 1999 census. About 3.5 million of these homes have some kind of pay service.
Unique standard
Most sets are made locally because the country decades ago adopted the Pal-M standard for analog color TV, which is not used elsewhere.
In 2000, Brazilian-based manufacturers turned out 4.5 million analog sets, most destined for the domestic market.
The new legislation also sets Dec. 28 as the deadline by which terrestrial broadcasters and pay TV channels must include transmission codes identifying shows with scenes of sex and violence.
The specifics of these codes and other details will be released by June.
Mixed greeting
Broadcasters mostly welcomed the parental control regs, which emerged after a long debate.
"Our position is that the parents have the right to have such control," said a spokeswoman for Brazil's leading net, TV Globo. "From a technological point of view, Globo is ready to begin transmitting the code information immediately."
But TV executives expressed concern about a classification system in which they would like to be involved in some capacity.
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