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FCC Bill Deserved More Consideration
For Immediate Release - Febuary 16, 2005

(WASHINGTON, DC) Congressman Jim McDermott (WA-D) released the following statement following the passage of H.R. 310, Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2005."

"Today the House passed H.R. 310. This bill would impose fines of up to $500,000 on broadcast stations if they allow obscene or indecent material on their air. I firmly believe that the airways belong to the public, not to the media conglomerates that use them for broadcasts, and that the public has a right to set standards. However, I voted against this bill for several reasons.

"First, it was brought to floor of the House without a single committee hearing. This means that there was no consideration of the public's views, no testimony about FCC (Federal Communications Commission) enforcement and its fairness or unfairness, and no consideration of possible chilling effects on legitimate broadcasts.

If Congress is to take its oversight of the FCC or any federal agency seriously, legislation of this nature demands full Congressional consideration, and should not be brought to the floor without normal committee consideration to satisfy political agendas.

"Second, if Congress had taken the time to hold hearings, much might have been learned about the broadcast industry's response to complaints over the last year - a response which, I believe, has lessened the need for Congressional action.

"And, finally, several amendments to the bill were proposed but the Republican majority on the House Rules Committee refused to allow any of them to be offered. One amendment would have required the General Accountability Office to conduct a study examining the relationship between the consolidation of media companies and the number of complaints and violations of the indecency that have been enforced by the FCC. Another would have required broadcasters to regularly report how they present balanced programming about the important issues of the day.

"Neither of these important amendments was given a chance for consideration."