Effort to Increase Indecency Fines Revived

While House-Senate conferees last week killed language tacked onto a Defense spending measure to substantially raise fines for broadcast indecency, a stand-alone bill with similar language to raise indecency penalties has been introduced. The new indecency measure, introduced Friday by Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kansas, would raise the penalty for indecency to a $500,000 maximum, with a $3 million per day cap. (The current maximum fine is $27,500.)
Sens. John Ensign, R-Nev. and Conrad Burns, R-Mont. co-sponsor the bill, which would give the FCC the leeway to consider market size and ability to pay when rendering a decision.
Backers such as groups like Morality in Media are urging members to push the bill and have it brought to the floor for a vote before lawmakers adjourn, or, in a lame-duck session after the elections.