FCC complaints from Olympics viewers

The Verge made a Freedom of Information Act request to the Federal Communications Commission for complaints related to the 2016 Olympics. The grievances, 18 of which were shared in the FCC’s response, fall into three buckets: inadequate closed captioning, discrimination of non-cable subscribers, and what else, sexual indecency. The issue of NBC failing to properly handle closed captioning is a serious one, and something we intend to explore further. But the FCC complaints are largely technical, focusing on the specifics of when, where, and how long closed captioning was poorly handled or completely absent from broadcasts.

The silliest, saddest, and most political complaints pertained to the human body, and how much of it should be shown. From a viewer in New York City: "Last night 08/06/16 NBC Olympic coverage included video of naked women which was inappropriate for a the wider audience." From a viewer in Norman (OK): "NBC's coverage of the Olympic opening ceremony displayed numerous examples of people's buttocks for the viewing pleasure on my children 9 and 5. This seems highly inappropriate for a recorded program meant to be watched by a general audience."