'Jackson breast' boosts U.S. Senate to consider indecency bill
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-03-03 09:27

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee will consider a stand-alone measure aimed at cracking down on indecent television and radio broadcasts, a spokeswoman for the committee chairman Sen. John McCain said on Tuesday.

Janet Jackson (L) reacts after fellow singer Justin Timberlake ripped off one of her chest plates at the end of their half time performance at Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston, February 1, 2004. The federal government's media watchdog on Feb. 2 promised to investigate whether indecency rules were broken during the broadcast of the Super Bowl halftime entertainment show when pop singer Janet Jackson's bodice was ripped to expose her right breast. [Reuters]

U.S. lawmakers in the Senate and House of Representatives are pushing to increase fines tenfold to $275,000 per indecency violation -- up to a maximum $3 million.

The Senate's first effort to raise the fines was included in a measure to reauthorize the Federal Communications Commission and other issues, a bill that has not advanced.

"Senator McCain anticipates marking up stand-alone legislation on the issue of indecency in the near future," said Rebecca Hanks, spokeswoman for the Arizona Republican. That bill is authored by Republican Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas.

Congressional efforts to raise indecency fines got a boost early last month after pop singer Janet Jackson breast was bared during the Super Bowl football halftime show.

But earlier on Tuesday, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said he must first examine the legislation before he will decide whether to support boosting fines and could not predict when the full Senate would consider the matter.

"There will be a continuous debate and hearings in all likelihood," the Tennessee Republican told reporters after speaking to the National Association of Broadcasters.

While most lawmakers support increasing indecency fines, members in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives differ on some key points, including at what point regulators should consider revoking a broadcaster's license.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday is due to consider a bill to increase fines and may add an amendment to require the FCC to hold hearings on whether to revoke a broadcaster's license after three indecency violations.

Janet Jackson is shown in a videotape released to the media Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2004, in Los Angeles in which she apologized for the breast-baring incident during her performance at the Super Bowl halftime show. Jackson had previously apologized Monday night in a written statement. [AP]

The Senate panel has approved in the FCC reauthorization measure provisions to hike fines but also require the Federal Communications Commission to consider revoking licenses.

Broadcasters have been under pressure for years for antics on over-the-air television and radio but intensified after a stunt went awry during the Super Bowl -- Jackson's bejeweled breast was exposed for about half a second on Viacom Inc.'s CBS television network.

Also on Tuesday, the cable industry sought to head off concerns about indecency on its systems by launching a campaign to educate parents about the controls they have at their disposal to shield their children from certain shows.

The National Cable & Telecommunications Association, which counts cable giants Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Inc. as members, told the FCC it would launch a Web site detailing options for parents, run public service announcements and send information to subscribers in the mail.

"The cable industry takes seriously your challenge and its responsibility to help protect children from indecent and unnecessarily violent TV programing," said NCTA President Robert Sachs in a letter to Powell.

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