The upcoming Super Bowl is a reminder that nearly two years have passed since Janet Jackson chose to expose herself to viewers, drawing attention to a growing problem: indecent programming on television.  Two years later, key legislation regarding television content still sits in Congress while programmers continue to air shows that are inappropriate and offensive to many families.

On Thursday, January 19, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee will hold a Full Committee Hearing on Decency, the third on this issue since November 2005, to discuss solutions with cable programmers and pro-family groups. 

Though time-consuming, these hearings have accomplished little. Instead of supporting parents and consumers concerned about this issue, Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), the committee chairman, has  allowed key pieces of legislation to stall in his committee.

Concerned Women for America’s (CWA’s) Director of Government Relations, Lanier Swann, has worked diligently to lobby for decency legislation. “Because cable companies refuse to take aggressive steps toward regulating inappropriate content on television, we need aggressive efforts to support parents in their efforts to protect their children, and we need aggressive solutions,” she said.

The Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2005 (H.R. 310), aimed at increasing and enforcing fines for indecent programming, passed in the House in February 2005 in a 389-38 vote.  Rep. Fred Upton (R-Michigan) proposed the legislation  and CWA is lobbying for its passage in the Senate. 

The committee also has stalled a decency bill, S. 193, proposed by Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) in January 2005.  Although the bill has 27 co-sponsors, it  still sits in Sen. Stevens’ committee.

CWA has worked hard to lobby for these key pieces of legislation, as well as for cable choice, which would allow consumers to pick, choose and pay only for the channels they wish to receive.  The public extensively supports cable choice.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin reiterated the problem at the first Senate Decency Hearing in November: “At the FCC, we used to receive indecency complaints by the hundreds; now they come in by the hundreds of thousands.  Clearly, consumers – and particularly parents – are concerned and increasingly frustrated.”

CWA will continue to monitor and fight for the passage of these bills and for cable choice.  Lanier Swann is submitting written testimony to Sen. Stevens’ committee for the January 19 hearing.