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Action Items
Find
out about some of the current issues in your community
and discover how you can make a difference.
National
Decency News and Legislation
Kevin
Martin appointed as new FCC chairman
Chairman
Martin was nominated by President George W. Bush to
a Republican seat on the Commission, and was sworn in
on sworn-in July 3, 2001. He was designated chairman
by President Bush on March 18, 2005. Chairman Martin
has consistently pushed for the agency to be more aggressive
on indecency, and has been quoted as the, “champion
of cleaning up the filth in broadcasting.” Martin has
consistently demonstrated his commitment to enforcing
the FCC's decency standards, which is strongly supported
by the great majority of Americans.
Broadcast
Decency Enforcement Act (H.R. 310)
The
Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2005 increases
the maximum fine for television and radio broadcasters
who violate the FCC's decency standards to $325,000
with a penalty cap of $3 million for any single act,
a tenfold increase designed to deter broadcasters who
consistently abuse their broadcasting privilege.
S.
579- Use of Funds Relating to the Media's Role in the
Life of a Child or Adolescent
As
quoted from the United States Legislative website, “To
amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize funding
for the establishment of a program on children and the
media within the National Institute of Child Health
and Human Development to study the role and impact of
electronic media in the development of children”.
Congress
cited in the text of the bill that, “In 2001, a National
Academy of Sciences 2 study group charged with studying
Internet pornography exposure on youth found virtually
no literature about how much children and adolescents
were exposed to Internet pornography or how such content
impacts their development”. This, among nine other findings
related to the impact media has on children, is evidence
as need for this study/ passing of this legislation.
Family
Entertainment and Copyright Act of 2005 (S. 167 and
H.R. 357)
Introduced
by Senator Orrin Hatch, this bill will assist parents
in protecting their families from inappropriate material
in movies as well as make other modifications to federal
copyright laws.
Quoting
from Senator Hatch's website –“The Family Entertainment
and Copyright Act of 2005 will give parents more say
over what their children see, without limiting the creative
control of directors and movie studios,” said Hatch.
“It also closes some significant gaps in our copyright
laws that are feeding some of the piracy so rampant
on the Internet.” Hatch said one of the bill's primary
purposes is to protect companies like Utah-based ClearPlay,
which has developed technology to allow viewing of DVDs
with inappropriately violent or sexual content omitted.
“This is important legislation both to parents who want
the ability to use new technologies to help shield their
families from inappropriate content as well as the technology
companies, such as ClearPlay in my home state of Utah,
that are working to develop these technologies,” said
Hatch.
Communities
for Decency encourages you to make your voice heard during
this legislative session. Please visit the Parent
Television Council's legislative action center
and and get informed and involved. http://capwiz.com/parentstv/home/
.
Thank
you,
Communities
for Decency
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