US Senate panel to examine decency issues November 29
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee said on Tuesday it plans later this month to discuss indecent content aired on television to determine how to proceed on potential legislation to limit such material.
Alaska Republican Sen. Ted Stevens (news, bio, voting record) plans to convene a public forum on November 29 that will include representatives of television broadcasters, cable companies and content providers, the committee said.
The U.S. House of Representatives earlier this year approved legislation to raise fines to as much as $500,000 from $32,500 on television broadcasters and entertainers who violate decency limits on the air. The Senate has yet to act.
Television and radio broadcasters are barred from airing obscene material and they are limited to showing indecent content, typically sexually explicit or profanity laden material, to late night hours when children are less likely to be in the audience.
The restrictions do not apply to services such as cable television offered by Comcast Corp. and satellite radio such as Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.. That has raised concerns among some lawmakers like Stevens.
Shock radio jock Howard Stern is leaving broadcast radio to join Sirius next year in part because of the indecency debate.
The cable and satellite industries have said that, because consumers pay for their services, the decency restrictions cannot be applied.
A Republican Senate Commerce Committee staff member said that, while it was possible the Senate could complete work on decency legislation this year, it was unlikely.
The move to increase fines on broadcasters followed several high-profile incidents, including pop singer Janet Jackson exposing her bare breast during CBS television broadcast of the 2004 Super Bowl football championship halftime show.
The CBS network is a unit of Viacom Inc.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051109/...cy_congress_dc