FCC Hires Law Professor Who Believes Broadcast Indecency Laws Are Unconstitutional

from the that-seems-like-a-good-thing dept

There are many people out there who are greatly troubled by the way the FCC "enforces" efforts against broadcast indecency -- with some even questioning whether or not it's even constitutional for the FCC to act as a public arbiter of indecency. It looks like the FCC has just hired one such person, in the form of Duke telco law professor Stuart Benjamin. Since I consider myself among those who question how indecency fines can fit with a First Amendment, this seems like a good thing -- but the reporting on it, at the link above, only focuses on the complaints about this hire. But the complaint comes from the Parents Television Council, whose main claim to fame is flooding the FCC with bogus complaints about "indecent" programming from people who didn't even see whatever it is they're complaining about. So you can understand why they might complain. If they lose the ability to create moral panics, it's harder to keep going.

Filed Under: free speech, indecency, legality, stuart benjamin
Companies: fcc