Friday, June 16, 2006

New indecency fines signed into law

Bush has signed the legislation raising fines on broadcast "indecency." Adam Thierer gives the scorecard for First Amendment protections on various forms of media:

MEDIA PLATFORM / FIRST AMENDMENT STATUS
Newspapers = Full First Amendment protection
Magazine = Full First Amendment protection
Cable TV = Full First Amendment protection
Satellite TV = Full First Amendment protection
Movies = Full First Amendment protection
DVDs = Full First Amendment protection
CDs = Full First Amendment protection
Satellite Radio = Full First Amendment protection
Internet = Full First Amendment protection
Blogging = Full First Amendment protection
i-Pods = Full First Amendment protection
Podcasts = Full First Amendment protection
Video Games = Full First Amendment protection

… and then…

Broadcast TV & Radio = Second Class Citizenship Rights in Terms of the First Amendment

It's high time to remove the FCC's ability to regulate content on the grounds that somebody might find it offensive--it has become increasingly irrelevant. (Actually, I think Peter Huber makes a strong case for doing away with the FCC completely.)

Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), chairman of the House Telecommunications Subcommittee, would like to go the other direction, and give the FTC the power to regulate video games for content.

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