Broadcast decency bill to get vote in Senate

Broadcast decency bill to get vote in Senate

The Senate Commerce Committee is scheduled to hold an important vote today on a broadcast decency bill that seeks to nullify a controversial federal appeals court ruling.

In June, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals handed down a ruling that bars the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from fining broadcasters that air so-called "fleeting" profanities on the public airwaves during times children are most likely to be in the audience. A bill sponsored by Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-West Virginia) would nullify that ruling by reinstating the FCC's ability to prohibit instances of profanity or indecency during children's viewing hours. The measure is scheduled for a vote in the Senate Commerce Committee today.

Dan Isett, director of corporate and government affairs at the Parents Television Council, says the legislation is necessary to prevent the entertainment industry from "polluting the airwaves" earlier in the day.

"The entertainment industry, in a couple of different lawsuits, are asserting this so-called 'right 'to air profane language at those times of day before 10:00 at night when we know that tens of millions of children are in the audience," Isett explains. "So what this bill is trying to do is reassert what the Congress means by broadcast decency law -- and that even single instances of these highly offensive content can be actionable by the FCC."

According to Isett, the only reason broadcast decency is back on the Senate's agenda is because of the grassroots activism of groups like the American Family Association and the Parents Television Council.

The broadcast decency bill is cosponsored by Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye of Hawaii and Vice Chairman Ted Stevens of Alaska.