Regulation of Obscenity, Indecency and Profanity

Coverage Type 

On Friday, the Federal Communications Commission launched a new, user-friendly web site designed to educate the public about the laws governing the airing of obscene, indecent and profane material and the Commission's enforcement of those laws. The web site is aimed at adding transparency to the Commission's work in this area. The site explains how to file a complaint and what happens to the complaint once the Commission receives it. In addition, for each year dating back to 1993, it provides useful statistics on the Commission's enforcement efforts, including the number of obscenity, indecency and profanity complaints received by the Commission; the number of Notices of Apparent Liability issued by the Commission and the total forfeitures imposed by the Commission. Finally, the site answers frequently asked questions on a wide range of topics ranging from how a consumer can determine the status of a complaint he or she filed to what makes material obscene, indecent or profane.
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
http://www.fcc.gov/eb/oip/

* FCC Seeks To Speed Indecency Complaints
Penny Nance, the anti-indecency activist now consulting the FCC on policy, has launched a Web site at the commission that will make it easier for viewers to complain about indecent broadcasts, though not quite yet.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6266652?display=Breaking+News...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)


Regulation of Obscenity, Indecency and Profanity