Perry Simon points out the irony of the FCC opening a new website section devoted to its regulation of obscenity, indecency, and profanity on the American airwaves. Anyone with a browser can now access the actual documentation of the cases the FCC against radio companies and shows, with transcripts replete with exactly the sort of thing the commission has issued fines for. Perry says (and I agree completely) this is a classic case of “do as I say, not as I do”:
While the FCC will claim that this is merely instructional, to show everyone what they’ve done on indecency, there is no warning label, no disclaimer, no content rating to protect children. And there’s no safe harbor, either — the kids can access this stuff at any time from any computer. In fact, the FCC’s indecent material is MORE pervasive than a local radio show, because unlike a radio show that can’t be listened to in school and can’t be listened to in mom’s car without parental permission and guidance, this stuff can be looked up on any computer at any time, and no filtering program is going to block a government agency’s educational website, is it? You might believe that the two situations — raunchy radio shows and a government website with raunch — aren’t the same. You’re right. The FCC website is worse.
To see your government in action, go here, then click through the Notices of Apparent Liability and other pages (parental guidance suggested).