Today, the United States Supreme Court ruled in the Federal Communications Commission v. Fox case.  The Parents Television Counci praised the Court for refusing to side with the networks’ years-long campaign to overturn the broadcast decency law, and upholding the authority of the FCC to enforce broadcast decency standards between the hours of 6 and 10 p.m., when children are likely watching. 

“Contrary to some media reports, the networks have lost their latest attempt to obliterate television decency standards once as for all. In fact, their efforts were slapped down by a unanimous Court. Broadcast decency rules have existed to protect children since the dawn of the broadcast medium and it is for their sake that there will still be decency rules and the TV networks will be required to abide by them,” said PTC President Tim Winter.

“The Court today specifically acknowledged the FCC’s ability to continue broadcast decency enforcement as part of its public interest obligation. Pacifica is still good law. The FCC must now rule on the merits of more than 1.5 million backlogged indecency complaints. The ‘notice’ requirement, which allowed Fox and ABC to slip off the hook in these two cases at issue today, has already been satisfied for all the pending complaints.

Broadcast decency rules have existed to protect children since the dawn of the broadcast medium. It is for their sake that there will still be decency rules and the TV networks will be required to abide by them.