LOS ANGELES (August 26, 2010) – The
Parents
Television Council™
praised the Federal
Communications Commission for its appeal of the Second
Circuit ruling in the Fox v. FCC case.
“The
FCC’s challenge of the Second Circuit ruling is an
important step in the right direction.
Without further court action,
the Second Circuit ruling would kick down the door for
indecent content to be aired at any time of day over the
public airwaves – even in front of children,” said PTC
President Tim Winter.
“The
importance of the broadcast decency law has become
abundantly apparent as the broadcast networks
demonstrate their desire to push ever-more graphic
content at all times of the day. The airwaves have
become a battleground for networks to out-cuss, out-sex
and out-gore each other; and sadly it is children and
families who are in the crossfire.
“A
Rasmussen poll released this
summer showed that 57
percent of Americans think there is too much
inappropriate content on television. In a related
poll, Americans favored
FCC enforcement of broadcast decency rules by a 21 point
margin (55 percent vs. 34 percent).
“The equity of
the broadcast decency law balances the needs of parents
and families on the one hand, and those who desire more
explicit fare on the other hand. It doesn’t forbid the
networks from airing indecent content, but simply puts
commonsense time of day constraints in place.
“In addition to this appeal, the FCC
should also force broadcasters to join the broadcast
decency dialogue. After
arguing for years that they would follow decency
guidelines if they understood what those guidelines
were, the truth is that the broadcasters have no desire
for clarity. Rather, they want no rules whatsoever. And
it is clear they will not exercise even
reasonable restraint unless their advertisers revolt or
unless they are legally mandated to do so.
“Our justice system must move quickly to
correct the Second Circuit ruling and reaffirm the FCC’s
statutory authority,” Winter concluded.
