Things You Can Do regarding the FCC

[Eric J in MN]

The House voted last week to increase FCC fines to $500,000 per incident, a 20-fold increase which will chill free speech if it becomes law.

What can you do?

1) Call each of your Senators' offices on Monday-Friday and leave a message against increasing FCC fines. Toll-Free Number to ask to speak with any Senate office:
1-800-839-5276

If you want to look up the names of your Senators, go to:
www.vote-smart.org

2) Visit www.stopfcc.com

3) Read my essay on this issue, "Increasing FCC Fines is the Wrong Way to Address Indecency," at the Moveleft Media website:
www.moveleft.com

[rumguy]

1. I agree - time to speak out about this absurdity - nt

[Deja Q]

2. So we just can't say "fuck" on TV...

People will just have to get creative to show their angst and nanoyance toward the fascist running everything.

[Eric J in MN]

6. "Indecency" is more than expletives. It's vague.

"Indecency" is more than expletives. It's vague. It's defined as "patently offensive sexual or excretory references."

If Howard Stern, Al Franken, or Janeane Garofalo discuss sex, the FCC can say their discussion was "patently offensive."

Currently, the FCC can fine $27,500 per-incident, but "The Decency Enforcement Act of 2004" raises this to $500,000.

The House passed "The Decency Enforcement Act of 2004."

We have to persuade our Senators not to.

[Deja Q]

8. Thanks for the scoop on this fascism.

Trouble is, they might look at a big list of names and ignore them. Or remember them as they vote the other way.

It's going to happen either way. :-(

We just need to be vigilant to make sure that repukes get fined equally.

I now wonder, will Tivo get find $500,000 every time they show an episode of Laugh-In where there's a sex joke or half-naked woman on screen? :eyes:

This will also change the face of modern sitcoms...

The GOP is offensive. Why can't we fine them $7 trillion? (yes, that number is very specific...)

[Eric J in MN]

12. No, the FCC will concentrate on radio shows critical of Bush

No, the FCC will concentrate on radio shows critical of Bush which have discussions of sex.

Why $7 trillion?

[still_one]

3. Here is the letter I received from my Senator

I am from California. Can someone tell me what is her position?

March 10, 2004



Thank you for your recent letter regarding radio
and television censorship. I appreciate your taking the
time to write me on this important issue.

In my lifetime, I have watched an increase in
gratuitous violence and its glorification in the media,
indecent sexually explicit material, and the use of vulgar
language on the radio and on television. I believe that
some material is simply not appropriate for all audiences.
Federal law governs what material can be broadcast and
the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has the
responsibility to enforce those laws.

I understand that you are against any type of
censorship and that you feel that the government is
dictating what people can and cannot watch. Your
opinion regarding censorship in broadcasting pertains to
the balance between two important principles. On the
one hand, Congress and the Supreme Court, as well as
society, recognize that there is an interest in protecting
the well-being of minors. On the other hand, the First
Amendment's protection of free speech makes it difficult
to determine what constitutes "indecency" or "obscene"
material. Thus, although broadcasters may have agreed
not to show certain types of programs in certain time
slots, there is still room for debate between reasonable
and fair minded people about the broadcasting choices
cable, radio and television companies have made.

I want to thank you for letting me know your
feelings on this issue. Please know that I will continue to
monitor the FCC's enforcement of our laws governing
indecent material but I will also make sure that any
rulings and restrictions made will not infringe on the First
Amendment's protection of free speech. If you have
further questions, please do not hesitate to contact my
Washington, DC office at [phone].

Sincerely yours,

Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator

http://feinstein.senate.gov

Further information about my position on issues of concern to
California and the
Nation are available at my website http://feinstein.senate.gov. You
can also
receive electronic e-mail updates by subscribing to my e-mail list at
http://feinstein.senate.gov/issue.html.

[Eric J in MN]

4. It sounds like she's undecided, and you should call to specifically

It sounds like she's undecided, and you should call to specifically ask her to vote against "The Decency Enforcement Act of 2004," which would chill free-speech.

[still_one]

5. Not only did I write her, I also called after I received the response

Her office would still not give anything specific. This is not rocket science. You should know where you stand on an issue like this. In addition, she voted for the so-called Medicare prescription plan, even though I urged her to vote against it. Her reason was that it was better than nothing!

This is why the Democrats are where they are today. For God sakes we have the issues, but are representatives have been too afraid to state their positions:

1. The war in Iraq
2. Unemployment, outsourcing, H1B visas
3. Environmental protections being destroyed
4. A woman's right to choose
5. Privitization of medicare and social security
6. Supreme Court Justice nominations
7. The deficet, and how our debt is being financed by Asia
8. How Bush has divided our country, and the entire world against us


I could go on and on and on and on and on and on...

When Gore ran in 2000, very little attention was given to those issues. If we sit on the fence this time we lose!

We cannot ASSUME the media will present these issues, we have to lead the way...

[Eric J in MN]

7. Did you call your other Senator? (nt)

nt

[still_one]

9. Yes, Barbara Boxer has not voiced a position yet on the FCC

but voted no on the Medicare Prescription plan.

What did your representative say in Minnesota?

[Eric J in MN]

10. neither Senator replied yet (nt)

nt

[bearfartinthewoods]

11. thank you for the toll free number

i will make liberal use of it.

[Eric J in MN]

13. Are you going to ask your Senators to vote

Are you going to ask your Senators to vote in favor of $500,000 fines for each incident of indecency?

I think this will chill free speech, and be applied against Al Franken and Janeanine Garafalo.

[otohara]

14. It's Hard To Sympathize With Clear Channel, Viacom, Fox

$500,000 is a drop in the bucket to these corporations.

As liberal and having watched what consolodation did to the airwaves, I don't have a problem with some of these disgusting moronic AM DJ's on like Bubba The Love Sponge spanked once in a while for their offensive trash talk about women, gays, DJ's throwing animals out the windows of their offices.

If indeceny includes cricizing our government, that is worrisome.

I could care less if Clear Channel had to pay 10 million in fines, fuck them.

[Eric J in MN]

15. What if Al Franken or Janeane Garafalo talk

What if Al Franken of Janeane Garafalo talk about sex when Air America starts March 31?

The FCC could fine them or Air America.

Call your Senators for the sake of free speech.

[otohara]

16. Al Franken & Janeane Garaflo

Al and Janeane are smart and hip, they are not going to start behaving like the moronic, sophomoric DJ's.

Jon Stewart can say fuck till the cows come home. Saying Columbine killers should have had sex with the girls they shot truly is disgusting.

[Eric J in MN]

17. Al Franken will include sex humor on his show

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/21/magazine/21FRANKEN.html?pagewanted=all&position=


Then, too, Franken unleashes a hilarious, X-rated Strom Thurmond impersonation that has been playing in his head and that he desperately wants to make work: ''I want to do Thurmond a lot, from the grave or wherever he is. And I want him to be more honest in death than in life. I mean, here's a guy who basically said, 'I'll fight to the death for segregation' and had a daughter who was black.''

--------------

The FCC can fine Air America $500,000 for that bit unless we get our Senators to vote against increasing FCC fines.

Free Capitol Hill Switchboard
1-800-839-5276