more on FCC "decency crackdown" - international impacts

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Frederick Lane <fslane3 () gmail com>
Date: September 14, 2006 8:20:37 AM JST
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Re: [IP] FCC "decency crackdown" - international impacts

Please post to IP ...

In my recent book, "The Decency Wars," I describe the origins of the
FCC's jurisdiction over decency. When the Federal Radio Commission
(the FCC's predecessor) was formed in 1927, the argument was made by
political progressives that the airwaves, as a public resource, should
be used for positive and uplifting purposes, and that it was the
responsibility of the government to make sure the common resource was
used appropriately. (A similar argument led to the establishment of
the long-standing Fairness Doctrine, which was not abandoned until the
Reagan Administration).

As the recent flaps over ABC's "9/11" and PBS's upcoming World War II
documentary demonstrate, social conservatives have been effective in
using the tools of government, including bureaucratic pressure, to
impose their particular moral agenda. The push to have the FCC
crackdown on indecency, however, is in direct contradiction to
traditional conservative values of limited government and individual
responsibility. While the campaign for government-imposed indecency
may have some limited success, it is ultimately unwinnable. No further
evidence is needed than the fact that the clip over which the BBC
debated so strenuously was available at the click of a button over the
Internet directly to my home. What the conservatives take away,
YouTube giveth.

In my final chapter, I offer a number of suggestions for combating the
efforts of some groups to use government to limit access to
non-obscene materials. Not least among them is the simplest
suggestion: strip the FCC of its indecency jurisdiction altogether. It
is an archaic responsibility, one that is being rapidly overtaken by
technology. Individual households should be responsible for what they
choose to watch.

Regards,

Frederick Lane

--
Frederick Lane is an expert witness, lecturer, and author. His third
book, "The Decency Wars: The Campaign to Cleanse American Culture"
(Prometheus Books 2006) is now available online and at local
bookstores. For additional information, please visit
http://www.FrederickLane.com.


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