[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 169 (Thursday, November 20, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H11857]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          DISAPPOINTMENT AND OUTRAGE OVER RECENT RULING OF FCC

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Jo Ann Davis) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to express 
my disappointment and outrage with the recent ruling by the Federal 
Communications Commission deeming the use of obscene language 
acceptable on television. Last month, the FCC ruled the use of what has 
been termed the ``F word'' in a live interview was not inappropriate, 
and its use in this case was deemed acceptable. While I understand this 
FCC ruling addresses a specific instance, I strongly caution my 
colleagues to the dangerous precedent that this ruling sets.
  This profane word has long been deemed inappropriate by American 
society and consequently has not been permitted on broadcast television 
and radio, and its use factors into movie ratings. However, with this 
recent FCC ruling, we are opening the door to a whole new world of what 
is deemed acceptable for television audiences.
  I ask my colleagues, then, what are our standards? Where do we draw 
the line? If the use of this expletive is appropriate in this one 
instance, what is to deter additional uses of it in similar instances, 
and at what point does it remain inappropriate?
  Again, I urge my colleagues to tread carefully and be mindful of what 
this ruling means for the future. We are sending the children of 
America mixed signals about what is decent behavior when we make 
exceptions to our standards, and I certainly do not think that we need 
to further complicate the complex period of childhood and adolescence.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask then, why do we even have an FCC if they are not 
going to uphold rules of decency? Why do we even as a society even make 
laws if they are not going to be followed? Turning a blind eye to this 
assault on decency will do a great disservice to America and damage the 
integrity of our airwaves.
  Mr. Speaker, the American public is currently under siege in their 
own homes. Every day, the Internet brings unsolicited and inappropriate 
material into the household through the dissemination of pornography. 
Our e-mail accounts are flooded with pornographic spam, making it 
necessary to utilize various controls and software to protect our 
children from being exposed to such obscene material.
  I am encouraged by the Attorney General's efforts in combatting this 
problem, specifically the recent increased number of prosecutions for 
adult obscenity and pornography. Additionally, my colleagues in 
Congress are actively working on language to curb spam solicitations 
and to further protect Americans from unsolicited e-mails. In doing so, 
we will stop not only those annoying advertisements but also keep 
indecent images out of sight of our children. It is through such 
efforts that we are able to take important steps against the onslaught 
of sexual offenses that so often stem from obscenity and pornography.
  The common decency of America is being tested, as little by little we 
are broadening the definition of acceptable and decent behavior. It is 
imperative that we now pause to carefully examine the decisions being 
made today that will ultimately impact the accepted standards of 
tomorrow.

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