A Sense of Indecency

A SENSE OF INDECENCY
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Meredith McGehee, Campaign Legal Center]
[Commentary] The Federal Communications Commission, at the prodding of the U.S. Congress (which authorizes the Commission’s budget), has slapped selected broadcasters with steep fines for indecency. But that has not changed the cozy relationship between broadcasters and the agency charged with regulating them. The fines imposed for indecency are just a drop in the bucket compared to what the government should be requiring of broadcasters for using our public airwaves. The FCC’s quick response to broadcasts of indecent material stands in stark contrast to the agency’s refusal to act on defining broadcasters’ public-interest obligations in the digital age, which is now quietly stretching into its sixth year! So how is it that the FCC can regulate indecency to the point of calculating down to a specific dollar figure varying amounts for exposed body parts, but shows signs of paralysis in spelling out broadcaster obligations? The FCC’s failure to act has huge consequences for the viewing public, as broadcasters pay nothing for the extremely valuable licenses they are granted by the government. The National Association of Broadcasters has waged an intense public relations campaign to convince citizens and policy-makers of its members’ commitment to fulfilling their public-interest obligations. The effort would actually be funny if it were not so indicative of how ineffective the FCC has been in regulating this powerful industry. This is all bad enough, but there is more. Broadcasters are looking for another, and even bigger, handout from the government today: They want the FCC to force cable operators to carry as many streams of programming as the broadcasters can squeeze from the digital spectrum that the government gave them for free. Not surprisingly, broadcasters are strong supporters of multicast must-carry and cable operators are vigorously opposed. FCC chairman Kevin Martin has made no secret of the fact that he wants to push such a requirement through, but he has yet to muster the support of a sufficient number of his colleagues to make it happen. It’s long past time for the FCC to serve the public, and to stop making excuses for the broadcast industry. Public interest obligations are just that, in the public interest. The FCC needs to remember that and start collecting at least this token rent on the public’s airwaves.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6361883.html?display=Opinion

Also see --
* What Community Service?
http://www.benton.org/benton_files/whatservice.doc