Legislative Background
Recent Action on Broadcast Decency
During the previous (108th) Congress, many Members sought to crack down on broadcast indecency as epitomized by performers’ behavior during the January 19, 2003, Golden Globe Awards and the February 1, 2004, Super Bowl halftime show. All proposals were intended to tighten control by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) over such content.Broadcast Decency Enforcement ActHouse Version. On January 21, 2004, Representative Fred Upton (MI-R) introduced H.R. 3717, the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act, to increase the penalties that the FCC could impose on broadcasters for airing obscene, indecent, and profane language. The bill specifically covered indecent language, but not images. The…
