FCC Violence Report Released

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last night released their long awaited report on "Violent Television Programming and Its Impact on Children." The Commission, in the fifty page report, unanimously concluded that the Congress could constitutionally limit the depiction of "excessive violence" during periods in which there is a substantial number of children in the audience. The FCC suggested that this period could run from "6am to 10pm."

A couple of the commissioners also suggested that commercials should be rated as to their violent content. ANA has strongly argued that these types of proposals fail to pass constitutional muster and violate the First Amendment.

We previously filed comments with the FCC on this matter in 2004.

Senator John D. Rockefeller (D-WV), the second ranking Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, has championed legislation to restrict violent programming in the past and is likely to push it hard in the near future.

If you have any questions, please contact Dan Jaffe (djaffe@ana.net) in ANA's Washington, D.C. office at 202.296.1883.