Last week the Federal Communications Commission launched a new, user-friendly section of its website designed to educate the public about laws governing the airing of obscene, indecent, and profane material and the commission’s enforcement powers.
The site explains how to file a complaint and what happens to the complaint once the commission receives it. In addition, for each year dating back to 1993, the site provides statistics about the FCC’s enforcement efforts, including the number of obscenity, indecency, and profanity complaints received by the commission; the number of Notices of Apparent Liability (enforcement actions) issued by the commission, and the total fines imposed by the commission. The site also answers frequently asked questions about a wide range of topics ranging from how a consumer can determine the status of a complaint he or she filed to what makes material obscene, indecent, or profane.
FCC records indicate the commission received nearly 1.5 million complaints about the content of broadcasts last year, many from religious zealots and parents groups who seek to further a right-wing agenda in the media by convincing the federal watchdog that a majority of the general public is outraged by some of the racy content on television and radio. Groups like the Parents Television Council and Morality in Media have prominent links on their websites allowing visitors to file complaints with the FCC.
The commission’s complaint volume in 2004 covered 314 programs (145 radio, 140 TV, 29 cable). Based in part on the complaints, the FCC took action in 12 cases (nine radio, three TV), assessing penalties and eliciting voluntary payments totaling nearly $8 million. The number of complaints represented a massive jump over the 166,683 received during 2003. That year, the commission took three actions, all against radio broadcasts, resulting in fines and voluntary payments of $440,000.
Through June 2005, the FTC has received more than 163,000 complaints (233 radio, 243 TV, 52 cable) but hasn’t taken any enforcement action. The largest volume of complaints was received in January (138,652); complaint volume decreased markedly in February (to 14,480) and again in March (to 3,884), and has continued to decline gradually since then.
