[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 26 (Wednesday, March 3, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H756]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          BROADCAST INDECENCY

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, families are tired of having to cover their 
children's eyes and ears every time they turn on the television. Many 
parents' standards of common decency are repeatedly offended and their 
parenting is undermined by the onslaught of indecent material on 
television and radio. Frankly they have been outraged recently by the 
examples of filth permitted on the airwaves by the FCC. Just as the 
majority leader said yesterday, if the industry cannot police itself, 
Congress must step in.
  The FCC has been entrusted with enforcing our Federal decency laws 
and should be expected to do so. There are plenty of laws on the books 
regarding this matter and the FCC just needs to enforce them. Today the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce will mark up a bill which allows the 
FCC to enforce tougher penalties on broadcasters for violations of the 
law. The privilege of conducting business over the airwaves should 
always be conditional on their willingness to adhere to standards of 
common decency.
  Broadcast airwaves belong to the American people, not to the 
networks. It is time for Congress to defend and protect America's 
parents and children and pass a tough bill to ensure decency on the 
airwaves.

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