Joel
>Gotta love that Anbody But Bush movement!
>
>Chuck0
>
>-------- Original Message --------
>Subject: [MRN] Senate votes 99-1 to hike broadcast indecency fines; rolls
>back FCC 6/2 rules
>Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 12:26:12 -0400
>From: Alan Freed <alan at beatworld.com>
>Reply-To: microradio at lists.riseup.net
>To: microradio at lists.riseup.net, amherst_members at yahoogroups.com
>
>insideradio.com 6/22/04:
>
>99 to 1 -- that was the Senate vote today to hike broadcast indecency
>fines.
>
>Only Louisiana Democrat John Breaux -- who's not up for re-election -- said
>"no", as the Senate overwhelmingly votes to raise indecency fines to
>$275,000 by pasting the Sam Brownback amendment onto a big defense
>appropriations bill. The Senate also votes for other amendments that will
>be
>more controversial: to stymie the FCC's June 2 ownership rules, and to
>regulate violent content on TV. The House passed a different version of the
>indecency bill -- so there's going to be negotiation ahead.
>
>
>
>
>http://radioandrecords.com/Newsroom/2004_06_22/topstory.asp
>
>6/22/04:
>
>Indecency, Ownership Legislation Moves Forward In Senate
>
>The Senate
>this morning approved by a vote of 99-1 an amendment sponsored by Sen. Sam
>Brownback that will increase to $275,000 the maximum fine the FCC can levy
>for an individual violation of its broadcast indecency rules, with a
>per-day
>limit of $3 million. Sen. Byron Dorgan's amendment to invalidate the FCC's
>June 2003 media-ownership rules was also approved, but Dorgan has abandoned
>his effort to mandate a federal study on the effects of consolidation in
>the
>broadcasting industry. An amendment sponsored by Sen. Ernest Hollings that
>aims to curb violence on TV was also approved, along with a measure
>sponsored by Sen. Conrad Burns directing the FCC to consider any mitigating
>circumstances in indecency cases - for example, whether a station owner
>carrying network programming had any input into the material that drew the
>fine. Brownback earlier this year introduced a standalone bill to increase
>FCC fine, but that bill stalled, so he last week decided to introduce the
>amendment to the massive defense-spending bill the Senate is currently
>considering. The next step is to get the Senate's approval of the entire
>spending bill, which will then go to a joint House and Senate conference
>committee for final consideration and on to the White House for the
>president's signature. A representative for Dorgan spokesman tells R&R,
>referring to the media-ownership rules, "This is just another in a series
>of
>very serious actions the Senate has taken to undo what the FCC did last
>June."
>
>
>
>23, 2004
>http://radioandrecords.com/Newsroom/2004_06_22/byrondorgan.asp
>
>Tuesday, June 22, 2004
>
>Byron Dorgan Praises Senate Action
>
>The Senator reacted to the news that his colleagues approved his
>measure to revoke the media ownership rules the FCC adopted in June
>2003 by saying that, at the time, "The FCC performed one of the most
>complete cave-ins to corporate interests against the public interest
>in the history of the country. The Senate, to its credit, has taken a
>series of strong, bipartisan actions to roll back the FCC rules.
>Today the Senate expressed itself again, in the strongest possible
>terms, saying that it wants the FCC's cave-in reversed and wants it
>reversed now." A Dorgan spokesman told R&R, "This is just another in
>a series of very serious actions the Senate has taken to undo what
>the FCC did last June." Dorgan's measure was a rider tacked onto Sen.
>Sam Brownback's legislation that seeks to dramatically increase the
>FCC's broadcast indecency fine amounts, which itself was an amendment
>to a defense spending bill that the Senate will continue to debate
>this week.
>
>
>
>http://radioandrecords.com/Newsroom/2004_06_22/aftragives.asp
>Tuesday, June 22, 2004
>
>AFTRA Gives Thumbs Up To Senate Amendment OKs
>
>The union that represents performers, announcers, broadcasters and
>recording artists lauded the Broadcast Indecency Amendment passed by
>the Senate today as part of the Department of Defense authorization
>bill for its noninclusion of fine increases for individuals. "While
>legitimate concerns still exist about the possible chilling effect
>that large broadcaster fines may place upon free speech over the
>airwaves, we are gratified and relieved that the legislation avoids
>the pitfall of fining individual performers, announcers, broadcasters
>and sound recording artists," AFTRA Asst. National Exec.
>Director/Public Policy and Strategic Planning Rebecca Rhine said. The
>amendment now moves to conference committee with the House DOD bill.
>
>
>
>http://radioandrecords.com/Newsroom/2004_06_23/nabreacts.asp3, 2004
>
>Wednesday, June 23, 2004
>
>NAB Reacts To Senate Action
>
>NAB President/CEO Eddie Fritts yesterday commented on the Senate's
>99-1 approval of an amendment that would increase the maximum fine
>the FCC can levy for an individual violation of its broadcast
>indecency rules to $275,000 by saying his organization "does not
>support the amendment passed" by the Senate. The proposed legislation
>sets a per-day limit of $3 million. "We continue to believe that
>voluntary industry initiatives taken by a number of broadcasters thus
>far are far preferable to government regulation when dealing with
>programming issues," Fritts said. "We also believe that most
>Americans would acknowledge that broadcast programming is
>considerably less explicit in terms of violence and sexual content
>than that which is routinely found on cable and satellite channels."
>
>
>
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