According to the Christian Science Monitor, Congress is planning on increasing indecency fines:Since Janet Jackson's revealing Super Bowl halftime show, The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been clamping down on any broadcast material that could be considered offensive. From talk-radio to "Masterpiece Theatre," broadcasters are watching their backs as the FCC hammers out rules and regulations and Congress considers boosting maximum individual fines to $500,000.
What else is bad enough to warrant a $500,000 fine? From the New York Times:There have been repeated efforts to make it a felony to cause a worker's death. But strong opposition from Republicans and many Democrats doomed every effort. Congress did, however, agree in 1984 as part of a broader sentencing reform package to raise the maximum criminal fine to $500,000 from $10,000. And in 1991, it raised civil fines. But the added deterrent appears modest.
So those are the priorities of Congress. Our representatives believe that an obscene broadcast is as bad as a willful violation of federal workplace safety standards that results in the death of a worker.
