Weblogsky: The FCC, Private Ryan, and Catch-22

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The FCC, Private Ryan, and Catch-22

CNNMoney has an interesting piece about ABC affiliates that won't show the Veteran's Day broadcast of "Saving Private Ryan" because they fear penalties from the FCC. Here's the part that made my ears stand up:

Janice Wise, spokeswoman for the FCC's enforcement bureau, told Reuters it had received calls from broadcasters asking if the film would run afoul of the agency's indecency rules. Wise said the commission was barred from making a decision before the broadcast "because that would be censorship."

"If we get a complaint, we'll act on it," she said.

So the FCC can't tell you what's objectionable, because that would be censorship, but they can sure as hell fine you if you make the wrong presumption. Perhaps the FCC shouldn't be involved at all in content regulation?

jon posted this at 1:26 PM
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