By Staff
WASHINGTON - The U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday overwhelmingly approved U.S. Fred Upton's legislation to clean up the public airwaves.
Upton's legislation, H.R. 310, the Broadcast Indecency Act of 2005, would raise the amount the FCC can fine for indecency from $32,500 to $500,000 per violation.
H.R. 310 passed the House by a vote of 389 to 38.
"There must be a level of expectation when a parent turns on the TV or radio between the family hours that the content will be suitable for children. A parent should not have to think twice about the content on the public airwaves.
In addition to raising the fines from $32,500 to $500,000 per violation, Upton's legislation also mandates a license revocation hearing after the third offense by a broadcaster (the FCC currently has the authority to hold such a hearing after the first offense, but is not mandated to do so).