Fines’ Fate Up to Bush

FINES FATE UP TO BUSH
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
Fueled by public outrage over Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl halftime breast flash on live national television in 2004, the House passed and sent President Bush a bill last Wednesday that would raise maximum radio- and TV-indecency fines tenfold, from $32,500 to $325,000 per offense under a $3 million cap for any single act. The House voted 379-35 to approve a bill (S. 173) that originated in the Senate and passed that body May 18 by unanimous consent. “This is a victory for children and families,” Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS), sponsor of the Senate bill, said after the House vote. “Raising the fines for abusing the public airwaves will hold broadcasters accountable for the content and consequences of their media.” Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin welcomed the bill as a way to clean up the airwaves, but he repeated his interest in seeing that consumers gain access to programming from cable and satellite companies on an a la carte basis. “I believe concerns regarding content should be addressed in a comprehensive fashion by empowering parents to choose the programming that comes into their homes,” Chairman Martin said. The White House -- which typically enunciates its position on legislation through the Office of Management and Budget -- did not issue a statement of administration policy regarding the Brownback bill.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6342685.html?display=Policy