Regulating like it's 1969

REGULATING LIKE IT'S 1969
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
[Commentary] Networks and their distribution partners in cable and satellite, prodded by the Internet and devices such as TiVo and Slingbox, are slowly ceding control to viewers and making it possible for them to watch shows when and where they want. Nevertheless, the Federal Communications Commission, in regulating indecent content, acts as if over-the-air broadcasting reigns supreme. Granted, television has become increasingly coarse, graphic and titillating. As FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin notes, complaints about unsuitable programs have risen dramatically -- thanks in no small measure to organized e-mail campaigns by groups such as the Parents Television Council. But the FCC is ill-suited to the parental task of protecting impressionable minds from corrupting images. For starters, the commission's ever-shifting membership leads to a lack of clarity about what is and isn't permissible. It also levies fines capriciously. As programs move to new venues and time slots, much of it at viewers' control, it's irrational to think that the feds can shield children by cracking down on what local broadcasters show. The commission should stop trying to censor broadcast programming and focus instead on helping parents understand and use the tools available to police their television sets.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-ed-fcc22mar22,1,2590639.story?coll=la-news-comment
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