Time Warner Fears Cable Indecency Rules

Time Warner is concerned that banning fleeting indecency on broadcast TV could be used to justify regulating cable television programming for indecency for the first time. The company, a major owner of cable TV systems and programming networks, stated in an Aug. 8 filing in the U.S. Supreme Court that government regulation of television content shouldn't be allowed to spread to the cable medium. "This court should never lose its vigilance to prevent restrictions on broadcast speech from spawning copycat restrictions on non-broadcast speech," the company said. Time Warner noted in the court brief that prominent individuals such as Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin have called for greater content regulation of the pay TV industry.