WASHINGTON--Fox Entertainment Group Inc., NBC and Viacom Inc., which owns CBS, have filed petitions asking the Federal Communications Commission to rescind its recent indecency ruling against NBC, according to a report by Baptist Press.
The on-again, off-again ruling from the FCC concerned foul language broadcast during the 2003 Golden Globe awards on NBC.
The New York Times reported the entertainment companies joined the ACLU, individual entertainers, the Screen Actors Guild and others in petitioning the FCC. ABC was notably absent from the group.
A series of FCC fines against broadcasting companies began earlier this year after an indecent fiasco during the Super Bowl halfttime show brought an influx of criticism from American viewers.
A record fine of $495,000 was issued against Clear Channel Communications Inc. for repeated offenses on the Howard Stern radio show.
That record may soon be broken if Congress has its way, however. Baptist Press reported that the House of Representatives approved a bill that would increase the maximum fine from $27,500 to $500,000 per violation. The bill also calls for the FCC license to be revoked after three violations.
The White House has endorsed the legislation. A Senate committee has approved a different version.
