FCC Recommits to Daytime Indecency Ban

Commission says ban "remains a vital tool" to shield children

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 8/31/2009 4:49:30 PM

The FCC may be considering different ways to put more content-management tools in the hands of parents, but there is one government content-control tool does not appear to be in danger of being superseded by technology.

The FCC said Monday that time-channeling of indecent content "remains a vital tool" for "shielding children" from "objectionable" broadcast content.

The FCC disallows indecent content between 6 a.m and 10 p.m., with the overnight hours considered the "safe harbor" for that material.

While some have argued that a ratings/blocking system would weaken the argument for FCC content control of broadcasting, the FCC said in the report that "evidence of the V-chip's limited efficacy"--Translation: not that many people use it--has only "reinforced the necessity of the commission's regulation."

In addition, said the FCC, channeling maintains the distinction between broadcast fare and that on other media like cable and the Internet. "[S]uch regulation of broadcast television provides some measure of confidence to parents that their children will not encounter the same kind or amount of objectionable content on that medium that they might find elsewhere."