Should the FCC Parent the Parents?

In June, a federal appeals court found the FCC's policies on punishing on-air expletives "arbitrary and capricious," spurring Senator Jay Rockefeller to introduce legislation that would deem any "fleeting expletive"- like the one Bono spontaneously uttered at the 2003 Golden Globe awards - indecent. Rockefeller's also looking to give the FCC authority to regulate violence on TV as well.

Today, the Christian Science Monitor featured an op-ed from ACLU Legislative Director Caroline Fredrickson, who spoke out against FCC regulation of television programming:

"The ACLU is not blind to the issue at hand. We can see why some parents are upset about what they see on television. But the answer lies in teaching those parents how they can limit what their children watch - not censorship. Congress may choose to play a role in educating parents on the dangers of overexposure to media. But government focus should then be on providing those educational opportunities - not on replacing parents as the primary decisionmakers in their own homes. Government should not parent the parents."

If you agree that parents, not the FCC, should have ultimate control over the programming their kids watch, please send an email to your senators and representatives telling them you oppose government control of television content.