Pro-Family Media Monitors Pushing for Senate Vote on Indecency Enforcement Act
by Jody Brown
May 4, 2006
(AgapePress) - - It's apparent that at least two pro-family groups are losing patience with Senate lawmakers -- one in particular -- who are sitting on a piece of legislation the groups say will protect children and families from vulgarity and obscenity on television. The Parents Television Council (PTC) and the American Family Association (AFA) are calling on their supporters and others to voice their dissatisfaction with Republican Senator Ted Stevens. Why? Because in their opinion, the lawmaker from Alaska -- who chairs the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation -- has held "hostage" for well over a year the Broadcast Indecency Enforcement Act (HR 310), which would greatly increase fines to broadcasters for violating current indecency laws.
Brent Bozell, PTC president, bluntly explains why he feels the increased fines are necessary. "The current paltry fines have proven they are not enough of a deterrent to broadcasters who continue to push raunchy content down the throats of millions of children," he says.
Bozell is particularly incensed that Senator Stevens has not allowed the Act to come to the Senate floor for a vote -- despite receiving the overwhelming endorsement of the U.S. House (389-38) on February 16, 2005. He says he has been told the senator is waiting.
"Senator Stevens has indicated that he wants to wait for the market to demand indecency legislation," the PTC leader says. "Yet the market has already spoken that it wants [that]." Bozell asserts Stevens has "rejected" the market, which he says consists of "families across America who want to create a stronger incentive for broadcasters to follow the law."
In addition, the networks have proposed a multi-million-dollar advertising campaign to "educate" parents on the television ratings system and the V-chip. The senator has stated he wants to wait until that education effort has had a chance to work. But Bozell says both of those resources have been proven unreliable for parents to use.
There may be another reason Stevens is sitting on the bill. The Alaska lawmaker also reportedly believes the networks are doing a good job of policing themselves -- a stance Bozell takes strong exception to.
"The networks have done nothing to clean up their acts," he says. "The industry's idea of self-regulation is to sue for the right to use the 'f-word' and 's-word' regardless of the time of day. Quite simply, the networks cannot be trusted."
The Mississippi-based American Family Association recently contacted its supporters via e-mail, asking them to contact Senator Stevens' office and politely request that he allow the bill to come to the Senate floor. According to an AFA spokesman, almost 60,000 individuals have followed through on that request thus far. Whether it makes a difference is unclear at this time -- but Bozell reports that the staff of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has called for a vote on HR 310.
AFA also reminded its supporters that during election years, broadcasters tend to be "very generous" political donors. "That means that unless there is an outpouring of protest, this bill will do what Senator Stevens wants -- die in committee," says an AFA Action Alert.
"Senator Stevens is a Republican in a Republican-controlled Senate," AFA points out. "If [he] wanted this bill passed, he could have had it done months ago." AFA suggests that upcoming action on the measure will tell voters who is more important to the Senate -- "the broadcasters, or the people."
