Bush Signs Bill Upping Indecency Fines
By Ted Hearn -- Multichannel News, 6/15/2006 10:30:00 PM
President Bush signed Thursday a bill that raises maximum radio and TV indecency fines from $32,500 to $325,000. The new law would not apply to cable or satellite TV providers.
“By allowing the FCC to levy stiffer and more meaningful fines on broadcasters who violate decency standards, this law will ensure that broadcasters take seriously their duty to keep the public airwaves free of obscene, profane and indecent material. American families expect and deserve nothing less,” Bush said in a statement released by the White House.
Although he noted that parents have a responsibility to police the TV viewing of their children, Bush called on broadcasters to make the job easier for parents.
“Broadcasters also have a duty to respect common decency, to take into account the public interest and to keep the public airwaves free of indecent material, especially during the hours when children are most likely to be watching and listening,” Bush said.
The FCC may fine indecent broadcasts aired from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., but the agency is not authorized to regulated cable content, a disparity that the National Association of Broadcasters wants to see changed.
“In issues related to programming content, NAB believes responsible self-regulation is preferable to government regulation. If there is regulation, it should be applied equally to cable and satellite TV, and satellite radio,” said NAB spokesman Dennis Wharton.
The bill (S. 173), sponsored by Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), passed the Senate by unanimous consent and the House by a vote of 379-35.
Media indecency has been a hot issue in WashingtonD.C. since singer Janet Jackson’s fleeting breast exposure during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, aired nationally by CBS. Jackson’s antics inflamed family and parental organizations, causing them to demand action. The FCC fined CBS Corp.-owned stations $550,000.
“The [broadcast] networks must have a significant financial penalty for violating the indecency law and the public trust.We hope that the hefty fines will cause the multi-billion dollar broadcast networks finally to take the law seriously,” said L. Brent Bozell, president of the Parents Television Council.
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