Satellite Radio May Not Escape FCC Restrictions

[Khephra]

NEW YORK (Billboard) - With envelope-pushing air talent like Howard Stern and Opie & Anthony flocking to the less-restricted refuge of satellite radio, could the Federal Communications Commission be far behind?

Specifically, could the FCC enforce its indecency rules -- which Stern claims drove him away from terrestrial radio -- on satellite radio too?

That's exactly what Saul Levine is hoping for. On Oct. 29, Levine, the president of Mt. Wilson FM Broadcasters, filed a Petition for Rulemaking to amend Part 25 of the FCC's pending satellite radio rules to include an indecency provision.

While legal experts say subscription radio enjoys deeper First Amendment protections than free radio, Levine's petition argues that the FCC is, in fact, empowered to enforce indecency rules on satellite radio and asks the commission to "level (the) playing field."

http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=industryNews&storyID=6932232

[still_one]

1. It better NOT happen

If they did it would also apply to cable and satellite TV

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Will the scaly tentacles of the wack-job religious right

eventually reach all the way into space and ensnare the satellites, too? Ya know, it seems odd that Republicans are suddenly so fond of monolithic, all-powerful government agencies, but I guess that's OK if those agencies are enforcing Decency and Family Values.

[0007]

15. It sure as hell appears that they will be trying as they gain more power

and it also appears that we're going down quietly.

[pokercat999]

23. My bet is

that more XXX style radio and TV are sold in the red states than one might imagine. I say let the FCC "bring it on" taking Opie and Anthony from the rednecks will hurt the repugs, unless they can blame it on the LIBERALS which of course they will.

I can just hear Rush now saying Stern has every right to say anything he pleases but those stinking LIBERALS are taking away his right to free speech even on Sat Rad.

[seriousstan]

3. I don't see how this could apply to a "pay to hear " format.

[sonicx]

4. great, let's have them regulate porn as well...

adults need to be saved from themselves.

[VegasWolf]

5. Isn't near earth orbit beyond their jurisdiction, like France maybe? n/t

[Flammable Materials]

6. If it's scrambled, it's private. If it's private ...

... the FCC should butt out.

What's next? Monitoring of private phone calls to insure that the parties involved aren't using naughty words? Tapping into our e-mails to make sure our conversations are chaste?

PS: I fucking hate these goddamn shitty ass-maggots. Censor that, Michael Powell!

[Kimber Scott]

7. Well, when I wrote the FCC about Fox News showing a penis entering

a vagina on their newscast the response I got was this:

You are receiving this email in response to your inquiry to the FCC.

Hello,
* Programming considered indecent, obscene, violent or otherwise offensive to some viewers may be transmitted over cable systems. The FCC Cannot Restrict Non-Broadcast (Cable) Programming
Thankyou


Dear FCC:

Recently Fox News aired a show regarding online porn. Striving for sensationalism in its graphic presentation, using actual pictures of pornographic websites, Fox News aired a photo of a woman being penetrated vaginally by a penis. This is outrageous and I would like to file a complaint. Fox News' zeal towards showing the world the evils of online pornography and its dangers to children, exposed my children to those very dangers on television, in my livingroom. This is as ludicrous as shooting someone to show them how dangerous guns are.

Sincerely,

[GCP]

14. I did the same thing

I couldn't believe what I was seeing - even HBO doesn't show stuff like that. And I got the exact same response.

Unfrikkin' believable - every time I think the hypocrisy of the right wing can't get any more egregious, (take that, lurkers and trolls), they give us another jaw-dropper.

[0007]

16. Wow! Maybe I should start watching FAUX..(being facetious)

[Ima]

19. What ever Fox does is ok

They are the citizens channel.:puke:

[Deja Q]

8. Yes. It seems to be okay for government to step in on this...

But it's wrong to have government step in to regulate corporate america and have fair tax laws that make those who get the most pay the most; particularly when the most get the most from the rest of us.

Which is it, repukes? How do you define your catchphrases of "less government" and "free market"?

[The Straight Story]

9. I am guessing that other FM stations will join this call

They have a lot to lose.

[w4rma]

10. Don't forget satellite TV, then. Murdoch won't like that one though. (nt)

[Sara Beverley]

11. American-Taliban (conservative evangelicals) are new "thought-police"

We have to take our government back or at least stop it from becoming the most powerful fascist state in history.

[schultzee]

12. They are reincarnated Puritans, and want to push their insanity down

everyone else's throats.

[booksenkatz]

13. It's the Hays Office all over again

David O. Selznick had to pay a hefty fine just to allow Rhett Butler to say "damn" in the film "Gone With the Wind." I mean, holy fucking shit. Next thing you know, I won't be able to type holy fucking shit at DU.

[GoBlue]

17. Maybe a little outsourcing to the Caymans ?

nt

[Khephra]

18. Kick

This is happening under-the-radar, so it deserves one kick at least.

[Ima]

20. Big brother

has to control everything. It's for the children, don't you know.:puke:

[Bono71]

21. Unreal. Please, stop protecting us!

[sakabatou]

22. Oh dear god...

Soon they'll have to censor HBO and other pay-for channels on TV as well. I hope this doesn't pass!

[genieroze]

24. I just sent this to Howard Stern

[cyberpj]

25. And once they get that - why not give cable and the net some morals?

And why not just tap and monitor the nation's phone lines?

2 article links follow:

1 - FCC wants Christian morals for the net and cable

US COMMUNICATION watchdog the FCC is apparently so pleased with its moral crusade following the Janet Jackson boob it now wants to purge what it calls immorality from the interweb and cable channels.

None of the US media that are looking at this story have said how the FCC is planning to censor the interweb. We assume they would have to follow a similar model to China where autocratic censorship of a huge population on the Interweb has been largely successful.

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=19761


2 - Is Big Brother Listening to Your Chat Room Conversations?

The U.S. government recently funded a study through the National Science Foundation to come up with a way to monitor conversations in online chat forums for signs of terrorist communications:
http://www.winxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=041102ED-Study

The AP story on this by Michael Hill was picked up by just about every computer news outlet on the Web; if you do a Google search for "chat surveillance," you'll find dozens of hits quoting the article, along with various commentary.

Cont'd here.....
http://www.winxpnews.com/index.cfm?id=149

1984 is just 20 years late.

PJ

[brucefan]

26. HowardStern

Will be all over this monday. Go hOWARD!