Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to the October 3, 2003, order released by the Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau in response to complaints regarding the broadcast of program material that contained indecent language.

Resolves that: (1) the House of Representatives (House) does not support the lowering of standards or the weakening of the rules of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) prohibiting obscene and indecent broadcasts to allow network or other communications to use language that is indecent or vulgar; (2) the FCC has a responsibility to utilize its enforcement authority to maintain those rules; and (3) the House will not allow the FCC to permit intrusion upon the family's ability to raise their children in an environment that is not inundated with indecent or profane language on our public airwaves.

[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 482 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 482

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to 
   the October 3, 2003, order released by the Federal Communications 
Commission's Enforcement Bureau in response to complaints regarding the 
    broadcast of program material that contained indecent language.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 8, 2003

 Mr. Gingrey (for himself, Mr. Bartlett of Maryland, Mr. McIntyre, Mr. 
 Tanner, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Barton of Texas, Mr. Shuster, Mr. Kildee, Mr. 
Bishop of Utah, Mr. Hunter, Mr. Stenholm, Mr. Burns, Mrs. Jo Ann Davis 
     of Virginia, and Mr. Turner of Ohio) submitted the following 
 resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to 
   the October 3, 2003, order released by the Federal Communications 
Commission's Enforcement Bureau in response to complaints regarding the 
    broadcast of program material that contained indecent language.

Whereas the complaint arose from the broadcast by numerous licensees of the 
        ``Golden Globe Awards'' program on January 19, 2003, in which an 
        individual used indecent language during the ceremony;
Whereas the Federal Communications Commission order determined that the 
        licensees did not violate the law since it was determined that the use 
        of the indecent language was not rendered indecent since it did not 
        ``describe or depict sexual or excretory organs or activities'';
Whereas this is the latest salvo in a string of decisions by the Federal 
        Communications Commission that establishes a precedent regarding the use 
        of universally-recognized vulgar expletives on our Nation's public 
        airwaves; and
Whereas this precedent intrudes on the families' ability to raise their children 
        in an environment that is not inundated with indecent or profane 
        language on our public airwaves: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That is the sense of the House of Representatives that--
            (1) the House of Representatives does not support the 
        lowering of standards or the weakening of the rules of the 
        Federal Communications Commission prohibiting obscene and 
        indecent broadcasts to allow network or other communications to 
        use language that is indecent or vulgar;
            (2) the Federal Communications Commission has a 
        responsibility to utilize its enforcement authority to its 
        proper extent to maintain those rules; and
            (3) the House of Representatives will not allow the Federal 
        Communications Commission to permit intrusion upon the family's 
        ability to raise their children in an environment that is not 
        inundated with indecent or profane language on our public 
        airwaves.
                                 <all>