FCC: The New Sedition Act?
...he FCC uses fear to influence what is not played on television and the radio. One effect of the FCC censorship was the refusal to air Saving Private Ryan by some American Broadcast Company (ABC) stations in 2004. ABC commemorated Veterans Day in both 2001 and 2002 by showing the unedited version of Saving Private Ryan. The FCC reprimanded neither showing and both were presented with little controversy. In fact, for Veterans Day in 2004 at least 20 of the 225 ABC stations refused to air the Oscar-winning Steven Spielberg World War II film. The stations feared severe fines from the FCC. Broadcasters had become weary of the FCC wrath after the FCC fined CBS stations $550,000 for Janet Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction” during the Super Bowl the previous February. The replacement by some stations was Return To Mayberry. The stations that did air Saving Private Ryan also aired viewer warnings during commercial breaks (Oldenburg ). Indecency laws are vague and used inconsistently. The FCC issued a $7,000 fine to a listener- sponsored station, KBOO, in Portland, Oregon in May of 2001. The station played a song by Sarah Hones titled “Your Revolution” which challenges the sexploitation of women in rap music. The deemed indecent references in the song were actually references to chauvinism in the lyrics being criticized by Jones. In this case, the FCC made it clear that the language and not the content determines decency. However, the following month the FCC fined KKMG in Colorado Springs, Colorado for airing an edited version of “The Real Slim Shady” by Eminem. Although all expletives had either been bleeped our or removed, the FCC determined that the song violated its decency standard. In the song, Eminem criticizes the FCC and has a strong anti-censorship message. Clearly, anti-FCC messages are indecent also (FCC Fines Radio Stations ). Proponents for the FCC claim that the airways need regulation to protect young children from being exposed to questionable material that they are too young to hear or see. In all fairness, young children do not necessarily need or should watch a large amount of the contents on the television or radio. However, material being unsuitable for children does not give the federal government the right to restrict adults. Common sense should win out. Parents should be the individuals responsible for what their children watch on TV and listen to on the radio. Most televisions and radio have multiple channels and off buttons. In addition, parents can purchase appropriate videos and DVDs for their children to watch instead of normal programming on the television. Audio tapes and CDs are also available to parents and other concerned citizens as a substitution for the radio. The federal government is not responsible for parenting today’s children, the parents are. Every American has the right to watch what he or she wants on television...