Congress Revives Decency Issue

Lawmakers Friday launched a new bid to sharply boost indecency fines for radio and TV stations one day after a similar effort was abandoned.

In what is proving to be a short-lived victory for broadcasters, a provision in a defense bill that would have raised the maximum fine against broadcasters to $500,000 was killed Thursday as Senate and House negotiators were trying to fashion a compromise from two bills that had passed both chambers, said Brian Hart, a spokesman for Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), who has been a driving force to raise indecency fines.

But lawmakers, including Brownback, quickly regrouped: On Friday, a new stand-alone bill was introduced to raise maximum indecency fines to $500,000.

The current maximum fine that can be levied against broadcasters by the Federal Communications Commission is $32,500 per incident.

Public concern over indecency in the media reached a new high in February when singer Janet Jackson bared her breast during the Super Bowl halftime show aired by Viacom Inc.’s CBS stations.

The FCC this month imposed a record $550,000 fine on CBS-owned stations for airing the stunt.

The FCC, which has issued more than $4 million in indecency fines since 1990, has intensified its scrutiny of broadcasters as lawmakers have pressed for stricter rules.