Number: RL32222
Title: Regulation of Broadcast Indecency: Background and Legal Analysis
Authors: Henry Cohen and Kathleen Ann Ruane, American Law Division 
Abstract: Two prominent television events placed increased attention on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the broadcast indecency statute that it enforces. The airing of an expletive by Bono during the 2003 Golden Globe Awards, as well as the "wardrobe malfunction" that occurred during the 2004 Super Bowl half-time show, gave broadcast indecency prominence in the 109th and 110th Congresses, and resulted in the enactment of P.L.109-235 (2006), which increased the penalties for broadcast indecency by tenfold.
Pages: 33
Date: September 9, 2008