FCC Enforcement Bureau Lists Accomplishments

The FCC's Enforcement Bureau chief briefed the commissioners on its chief accomplishments in 2006 as part of a Wednesday status meeting.

Its two main accomplishments dealing with children and content, according to Bureau Chief Kelly Monteith, was the creation of a Web-based complaint form for indecency, and the March omnibus order proposing fines against a number of broadcasters.

That March order includes the profanity decisions--though no fines were issued--that broadcasters are currently challenging in federal court.

"It has been a productive year," Monteith told the commissioners.

Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate said violators need to know the FCC is serious about compliance with indecency and other rules and that "violations of our rules won't be tolerated."

"You are the teeth of the commission so keep those fangs sharp," said Commissioner Robert McDowell of all the bureau's enforcement functions. "I know you are going to be busy."

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.