Washington D.C., Mar 19, 2008 / 04:01 am
In its first major broadcast indecency case in thirty years, the Supreme Court will consider whether radio and television channels can be punished for broadcasting “fleeting expletives”.
The government has banned “fleeting expletives,” one-time uses of indecent words like the “F-word” that can bring big fines.
The case under consideration, FCC vs. Fox Television Stations, 07-582, was instigated by the Federal Communications Commission’s 2006 ruling that two broadcasts of the “Billboard Music Awards” were indecent. On two separate shows, the actor-musician Cher and the reality show star Nicole Richie used an obscenity beginning with “f.”
Though the FCC levied no fines, Fox Broadcasting Co. and others appealed the decision. They claimed the agency had changed its enforcement policy without warning and argued the new ban was unconstitutional.