Higher Indecency Fines Unlikely This Year
Congress is unlikely to pass legislation this year to raise maximum fines on broadcasters such as Viacom Inc.’s CBS for airing indecent material, spokesmen for three U.S. senators said.
Different bills to increase penalties were passed by the Senate and the House this year after a public furor over the baring of singer Janet Jackson’s breast at the Feb. 1 Super Bowl halftime show aired by CBS. President Bush endorsed the House measure, but a compromise was never reached.
The three Republican senators who reintroduced an indecency bill last month do not plan to push the Senate to consider the legislation before Congress is due to adjourn at the end of the week, their spokesmen said. Kansas Republican Sam Brownback is expected to reintroduce the bill in January.
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