LOS ANGELES (May 6, 2013) – The Parents Television Council launched “#NoIndecencyFCC” Week , May 6-10, to encourage the public to file
public comments to the FCC’s proposal to limit broadcast indecency complaints.
“We are focusing on #NoIndecencyFC to let the FCC know that we consider its proposal to limit broadcast indecency complaints extremely troublesome.
Only pursuing so-called ‘egregious’ complaints from the public about indecent TV or radio content will lead to broadcasters pushing the decency
limits even further – including the airing of nudity or harsh profanity when millions of children are in the audience,” said PTC President Tim
Winter.
“Federal law limits the broadcast of indecent material to the times of day when kids are much less likely to be in the audience, making no
distinction for ‘egregious’ instances. Either material is legally indecent or it is not, and the ‘egregious’ nature of violating
the law should only dictate the punishment a broadcaster faces for breaking that law. It is unnecessary for indecent content to be repeated many times in
order to be actionable, and it is unwise for the FCC to pursue a new course that will guarantee nothing but a rash of new litigation.
“We are encouraging the public to
share its concern with the FCC in a public comment by the deadline of May 20. To date, over 90,000 public comments
have been filed, most of them expressing outrage that the FCC would even consider such a proposal.
“If this proposal is adopted, the greatest harm will fall upon our children and grandchildren, who already face waves of explicit content when they
use the airwaves of which they, too, are co-owners. The FCC proposal erodes a parent’s recourse for broadcast decency enforcement and, instead, cedes
control of our airwaves entirely to the entertainment industry. It’s time to say #NoIndecencyFCC!” Winter concluded.
The PTC is also encouraging people to take to Twitter using the #NoIndecencyFCC hashtag (@FCC; @ThePTC) to let the FCC know that the proposal to limit
indecency complaints should be eliminated.
For more information on how to file a public comment with the FCC, visit www.ParentsTV.org.
The Parents Television Council® (www.parentstv.org) is a non-partisan education organization advocating
responsible entertainment. It was founded in 1995 to ensure that children are not constantly assaulted by sex, violence and profanity on television and in
other media. This national grassroots organization has more than 1.3 million members and 56 chapters across the United States, and works with television
producers, broadcasters, networks and sponsors in an effort to stem the flow of harmful and negative messages targeted to children. The PTC™ also
works with elected and appointed government officials to enforce broadcast decency standards. Most importantly, the PTC produces critical research and
publications documenting the dramatic increase in sex, violence and profanity in entertainment. This information is provided free of charge so parents can
make informed viewing choices for their own families.