Immediately after the news that the Supreme Court would hear the FCC’s appeal of its indecency enforcement, commissioners and trade groups weighed in.
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin professed pleasure, saying, “The commission, Congress and, most importantly, parents understand that protecting our children is our greatest responsibility. I continue to believe we have an obligation then to enforce laws restricting indecent language on television and radio when children are in the audience.”
Commissioner Michael Copps said, “While the FCC has a statutory duty to enforce the indecency laws, I continue to believe that all of us — government, industry and parents — have a role to play in protecting our children from inappropriate material. The court’s review will hopefully bring additional clarity to concerned citizens and broadcasters alike.”
NAB Executive VP Dennis Wharton said the trade association was happy: “NAB is pleased the Supreme Court has agreed to review this case, and that justices will provide badly needed clarity to both broadcasters and policymakers on this critically-important First Amendment case.”
