Top Court weighs broadcast indecency

TOP COURT WEIGHS BROADCAST INDECENCY
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: ]
The Supreme Court on Monday stepped into a legal fight over the use of curse words on the airwaves, the high court's first major case on broadcast indecency in 30 years. The case concerns a Federal Communications Commission policy that allows for fines against broadcasters for so-called "fleeting expletives," one-time uses of the 'F-word' or its close cousins. Fox Broadcasting -- along with ABC, CBS and NBC -- challenged the new policy after the commission said broadcasts of entertainment awards shows in 2002 and 2003 were indecent because of profanity uttered by Bono, Cher and Nicole Richie. A federal appeals court said the new policy was invalid and could violate the First Amendment.
http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/17/technology/bc.us.supremecourt.broad.ap/i...

* FCC Commissioner Tate: "I am pleased that the U.S. Supreme Court has granted the petition for certiorari filed by the Solicitor General. Protecting children from inappropriate programming continues to be one of my top priorities. I hope that the Court's decision will give broadcasters clarity regarding the use of profanity, even fleeting profanity, on the public airwaves, at times when children are most likely to be in the audience."
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-280843A1.doc

* FCC Commissioner Adelstein: "I'm pleased that the Supreme Court agreed to review the Fox decision. While the FCC has a statutory duty to enforce the indecency laws, I continue to believe that all of us-government, industry, and parents-have a role to play in protecting our children from inappropriate material. The Court's review will hopefully bring additional clarity to concerned citizens and broadcasters alike."
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-280835A1.doc

* Top court to review FCC indecency rule case
http://www.reuters.com/article/industryNews/idUSWAT00914320080317
* High Court Takes FCC’s F-Word Case
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6541004.html?nid=4262
* Court Takes Up On-Air Vulgarity Again
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/18/washington/18scotus.html?ref=todayspap...
* Supreme Court to Review FCC Ban on Profanity
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/17/AR200803...
* Supreme Court to hear case stemming from celebrities who swore on live TV
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20080318/a_court18.art.htm
* Supreme Court to rule on broadcast indecency
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-scotus18mar18,1,...
* FCC's obscenity rule to get Supreme Court's ear
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0318/p02s01-usju.html