Current Issue

March 2006

FCC LAUNCHES NEW WEB SITE EXPLAINING ITS BROADCAST OBSCENITY, INDECENCY AND PROFANITY RULES, COMPLAINT PROCEDURES AND ENFRCEMENT ACTIONS.

Washington, DC: Today, the Federal Communication Commission launched a new, user-friendly web site designed to educate the public about the laws governing the airing of obscene, indecent and profane material and the Commission’s enforcement of those laws. The web site adds transparency to the Commission’s work in this important area.

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, it provides useful statistics on the Commission’s enforcement efforts, including the number of obscenity, indecency and profanity complaints received by the Commission; the number of Notices of Apparent Liability issued by the Commission and the total forfeitures imposed by the Commission. Finally, the site answers frequently asked questions on a wide ranging from how a consumer can determine the status of a complaint he or she filed to what makes material obscene, indecent or profane.