`INDECENCY' FINES INCREASE TENFOLD HOUSE OKS $325,000 PENALTY FOR BROADCAST VIOLATIONS.Byline: LISA The first personal computer to include integrated software and use a graphical interface. Modeled after the Xerox Star and introduced in 1983 by Apple, it was ahead of its time, but never caught on due to its $10,000 price and slow speed. FRIEDMAN Washington Bureau WASHINGTON -- Janet Jackson's infamous ``wardrobe malfunction'' during the 2004 Super Bowl half-time show could cost a network TV station up to $325,000 in fines under indecency INDECENCY. An act against good behaviour and a just delicacy. 2 Serg. & R. 91. 2. The law, in general, will repress indecency as being contrary to good morals, but, when the public good requires it, the mere indecency of disclosures does not suffice to exclude legislation overwhelmingly approved Wednesday by the House and sent to President George W. Bush. The Los Angeles-based Parents Television Council and other anti-indecency groups hailed the 379-35 passage of the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act as a major victory against ``sexually raunchy raun·chy adj. raun·chi·er, raun·chi·est Slang 1. a. Obscene, lewd, or vulgar: "[He] and gratuitous violent content.'' Currently, the Federal Communications Commission Federal Communications Commission (FCC), independent executive agency of the U.S. government established in 1934 to regulate interstate and foreign communications in the public interest. can levy fines of up to $32,500 per incident, but the bill would increase that tenfold. Bush is expected to sign it. ``The FCC (1) (Federal Communications Commission, Washington, DC, www.fcc.gov) The U.S. government agency that regulates interstate and international communications including wire, cable, radio, TV and satellite. The FCC was created under the U.S. will now have the authority to impose meaningful, punitive fines when the indecency law is broken. We hope that the hefty fines will cause the multibillion-dollar broadcast networks to finally take the law seriously,'' said L. Brent Bozwell, president of the Parents Television Council. Seven California Democrats were among those who opposed the measure, including Reps. Howard Berman, D-Van Nuys; Xavier Becerra, D-Los Angeles; Jane Harman, D-El Segundo; Linda Sanchez, D-Lakewood and Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks. Berman said he opposed the measure, as he has in the past, ``because the penalties were approaching outrageous and because the FCC has failed to communicate clearly what constitutes indecency and what doesn't. ``It's too vague and so it doesn't tell broadcasters in advance, in a way they can truly understand, what's permissible and what isn't,'' Berman said. Dennis Wharton, spokesman for the National Association of Broadcasters, called self-regulation preferable to government regulation. He also noted that any regulation should apply equally to cable and satellite TV and radio as well as network stations. Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y., predicted the bill will have a ``chilling effect'' on free speech. He noted several ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. affiliates declined to show the movie ``Saving Private Ryan'' on Veterans Day because they feared fines and that CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. and NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. refused to run an ad from the United Church of Christ United Church of Christ, American Protestant denomination formed in 1957 by a merger of the General Council of Congregational Christian Churches (see Congregationalism) and the Evangelical and Reformed Church. suggesting gay couples are welcome there. ``This is how free speech dies, with the pruning of self-satisfied politicians and the whimpering of fearful citizens,'' Ackerman said. But Rep. Fred Upton, who sponsored the legislation, said a review of the FCC's notices of apparent liability against broadcasters, and the transcripts of the shows against which complaints were lodged, persuaded him that Congress needs to take action. ``I believe that broadcasters do have a special place in our society, given that they are stewards of the public airwaves. And with that stewardship comes responsibility, including adherence to our nation's indecency laws,'' Upton said. ``For those broadcasters who are less than responsible, the FCC needs to have the teeth to enforce the law,'' he said. lisa.friedman(at)langnews.com (202) 662-8731 |
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