Where does Obama’s FCC Nominee Stand on Decency?
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 18, 2013) – President Obama’s nominee to lead the Federal Communications Commission must commit to enforcing current decency laws or the U. S. Senate must reject him. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation will hold a hearing on the nomination of Tom Wheeler to Chair the FCC at 2:30pm on June 18. It is time that the Commission start protecting the interest of children and families by keeping the public airwaves clean.
“It has been more than four years since the FCC did its job and enforced decency standards on broadcast TV,” said Patrick A. Trueman, President of Morality in Media. “Federal law prohibits indecent programming and profanity on the public airwaves. Before Wheeler is confirmed as chairman of the FCC, he needs to commit to vigorously enforcing those standards.”
Television should be available to all, not just those who want indecency and profanity. The Federal decency law, 18 U. S. C. Section 1464, applies only to broadcast TV, not cable or satellite TV. The American public has a right to decency in their own homes. The FCC currently has indecency complaints from hundreds of thousands of Americans asking for enforcement. Will Tom Wheeler side with Federal law and the American public or with TV networks?