F.C.C. Indecency Policies

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/opinion/20wed3.html When reading the article in the link above, I began thinking. The question I asked myself: What is indecency? According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, something is indecent if it is “grossly improper or offensive.” This definition opens up a whole new discussion. New questions arise; such as, Who sees it as improper or offensive? At what point is it considered “grossly” improper or offensive? So, with all of these questions and uncertainty, how can the F.C.C. truly decide what to regulate, and how to do so? A complete description of the F.C.C.’s guidelines and regulations for obscenity, indecency, and profanity can be found at http://www.fcc.gov/eb/oip/. The basic idea of their regulations is that obscene material is not allowed to be aired at any time, and indecent or profane material may only be aired during certain hours. The specifics of their regulations and definitions are vague and could be interpreted differently by every reader. This causes a lot of problems and arguments over rulings of violations. In my opinion, programs aired on public television should be regulated, but the F.C.C. should have very specific guidelines that are set in stone and cannot be disputed. For profanity, the F.C.C. should have a set list of words or phrases that cannot be said on air during certain times. They should also have another list of less offensive language that cannot be said more than a select number of times per hour/program. I also think that if a program is up for dispute of whether or not it is offensive, it should be tested. The test should consist of a viewing by a large, random group of viewers of various age, race, profession, religion, etc. After the viewing, they should be given an anonymous survey in which they rate the program’s level of offense on a scale set by the F.C.C. The F.C.C. should pre-determine a score that will be considered offensive. I do agree that obscene programs should never be aired on public television, but should still be available, by means of pay-per-view or rental, to those of legal age (18+) who would like to view them. Basically, the F.C.C., as of their current definitions and policies, should not be able to regulate materials. If they change their policies to be more specific, their rulings would be more concrete and justified. Right now though, their policies are too vague to be justifiable or respected by television networks.