Posted on 03/01/2005 2:32:12 PM PST by Blackirish
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens said Tuesday he would push to apply broadcast decency standards to subscription television and radio services like cable and satellite. "Cable is a much greater violator in the indecency area," the Alaska Republican told the National Association of Broadcasters, which represents most local television affiliates. "I think we have the same power to deal with cable as over-the-air" broadcasters. "There has to be some standard of decency," he said. Stevens told reporters afterward that he would push legislation to apply the standards to cable and satellite radio and television. Federal regulations bar broadcast television and radio stations from airing obscene material and restrict indecent material, such as sexually explicit discussions or profanity, to late-night hours when children are less likely to be watching or listening. But so far those restrictions have not applied to subscription television and radio services offered by companies like Comcast Corp. (up $0.28 to $32.74, Research) or Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. (up $0.38 to $5.95, Research), which recently signed shock jock Howard Stern. Stevens said he disagreed "violently" with assertions by the cable industry that Congress does not have the authority to impose limits on what they air. "If that's the issue they want to take on, we'll take it on and let the Supreme Court decide," he said. The House of Representatives has approved legislation to raise fines to $500,000 from $32,500 on television and radio broadcasters that violate indecency limits. The Senate has legislation pending to increase fines as well. But neither bill has provisions that would extend indecency restrictions to cable and satellite services.
(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...
Keep your friggen hands off my remote.
wait a second...thats a subscription service. They have no sway over it if I am paying for it...
What will they want to regulate next? Porn? ohh yeah, thats right...dont give them ideas....
Jeez...
I think he is right. I don't find either one mentioned in the Constitution.....
I remember this old coot picking his nose on camera during the Impeachment.
I really have no problem with this. You know, there used to be a time in America when what is shown on tv would have been unacceptable by the people.
I know times have changed but morality does not.
Yes, I know, You have a "right" to watch smut. Screw what it does to society and in the end to children.
Flamesuit on....
Then can your 14 year old daughter go out and do the same thing? I don't see why not....you think its cool.....
Are you referring to XXX stuff? If we use common sense like they used to then it is pretty easy to distinguish between smut and literature.
I know times have changed but morality does not.Yes it does. "Morality" is relative.
In Islamic nations, eating pork, drinking beer, or a woman showing any skin at all is considered "immoral".
If I had a penny for every person who refuses to use common sense when it comes to decency standards I could buy my own network.
I wish people felt ashamed in watching and reading stuff like that.
It is not that complicated. But people who like smut (not referring to you) try to make it complicated.
Can we keep it to America for now? God's laws do not change.
Can we keep it to America for now? God's laws do not change.In America, no such concept may be given any legal recognition.
-Eric
Broadcast services, however, if "free", should be regulated since they use a resource the majority of citizens might be able to use if the broadcasters weren't using it.
I guess Tony Soprano and crew will have to move out of the "Bada Bing" and into a Sunday school.....
For people who don't want to see "The Sopranos" or "Deadwood" or any of the other edgy yet excellent shows on cable....
I got yer Larwence Welk tapes right down over by here.
Republicans are barking up the wrong tree with this indecency stuff, anti-abortion and Christian values crap.
If the Republicans REALLY wanted to gain power, they would restrict their agenda to national security, fiscal sanity and an America first agenda.
This puritan mentality will chase off more people than it attracts.
For the record, I watched a nude flick on Cinemax on Nov.1 then the wife and I woke up and voted for Bush in the morning. If the holy roller stuff continues, I will abandon the party for good.
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