Rep. Boozman Votes to Clean the Airwaves

Rep. Boozman Votes to Clean the Airwaves
Bill will increase FCC fines for broadcasters who violate indecency laws

Washington, Feb 16 - Rep. John Boozman (R-AR) today voted for legislation that will significantly increase fines on broadcasters who air indecent material.

H.R. 310, the "Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2005," overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 389-38. Boozman was a cosponsor of the legislation.

Currently, the maximum fine the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) can impose for violation of the decency laws is $32,000 per violation, which, to some broadcasters, is merely the cost of doing business. H.R. 310 would increase the maximum fine to 500,000 per violation.

"As stewards of the public airwaves, television and radio broadcasters have an obligation to understand and abide by our decency laws. Unfortunately, as we have seen in the past year, in many circumstances, they simply choose to ignore these laws. The FCC must have the authority to come down hard on broadcasters who continue to violate these standards," said Boozman.

The bill also would increase, from $11,000 to $500,000, the maximum fine against individual performers who "willfully and intentionally" violate decency standards during a television or radio broadcast.

"If last year's Super Bowl halftime show taught us anything, it is that performers need to be held accountable for their actions as well. There were no innocent victims in that stunt except for the viewers at home," said Boozman.

In addition, H.R. 310 includes a "three strikes" provision that would require the FCC to hold a license revocation hearing for any broadcaster who has been found liable for three indecency violations within the term of the license.

http://boozman.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=6832