I have spent 13 years in the radio broadcast industry, dedicated countless hours to community radio stations in the Midwest and Pacific NorthWest. Creating compelling, decent programming on the airwaves is an art worth pursuing. To throw away standards is a fast-track to destroying the FCC and unraveling one of the most valuable resources our nation’s citizens still hold. When the FCC is gone, the bandwidth protected by the agency will be bought and sold to corporate interests. Please, stand up for standards.
VERIFY THIS NEWS WITH SNOPES
APRIL 8, 2013
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced it is considering dropping current broadcast decency standards that ban explicit profanity and “non-sexual” nudity.
You can read the press release from the FCC here.
Specifically, if enacted, the new FCC policy would allow network television and local radio stations to air the f-word, the s-word and to allow programs to show frontal female nudity, even during hours when they know children will be watching and listening.
It is accepting comments on the proposal from the viewing public until the end of April.
Current broadcast decency law prohibits expletives and nudity, even if brief or “fleeting.” The Supreme Court has upheld the law as constitutionally enforceable by the FCC, despite lawsuit attempts by networks NBC and FOX to overturn it.
TAKE ACTION
Submit your comments to the FCC, urging it to reject any changes to the current policy.
The FCC will not accept general email comments. To be valid, you are required to file a formal comment via the FCC’s website.
Please follow these instruction carefully, to insure your comment is accepted by the FCC:
1. Go to http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/upload/begin?procName=&filedFrom=X.
2. Enter the code “13-86″ in the “Proceeding Number” box and fill out the few remaining required fields.
3. Enter your comment in the text box provided and click “Continue.”
4. From there, review your comment and click “Confirm.”
Some *SAMPLE COMMENTS* can be found at the bottom of this page.