70 Groups to Senate: Oppose Wheeler Unless Committed to Decency Enforcement
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 9, 2013) – Seventy organizations, led by Morality in Media, signed a letter to U. S. Senators asking them to oppose President Obama’s nominee to chair the FCC unless he commits to enforcing decency laws. The letter was hand-delivered to Senate offices on July 9.
Tom Wheeler was nominated to chair the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and is up for confirmation by the Senate. He was given the opportunity to state his position on decency enforcement during his nomination hearing but instead sidestepped the issue. The FCC is the guardian of decency on broadcast TV and radio and it is time for them to enforce the law.
“One of the most important duties the FCC Chair has is to enforce decency standards on network TV and radio. If Wheeler shirks his responsibility, no one else will enforce the law,” said Patrick A. Trueman, President of Morality in Media. “It is up to the Senate to make sure that the next leader of the FCC enforce the laws passed by Congress and supported by the American people.”
During the four years of the previous FCC chairman, Julius Genachowski, not one decency enforcement action was started against any TV show, despite more than a million citizen complaints.
