The Spacey Gracey Review: We Don't Need No F-ing FCC

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

We Don't Need No F-ing FCC

A U.S. appeals court on Monday (June 4, 2007) overruled federal regulators who decided that expletives uttered on broadcast television violated decency standards, a
major victory for TV networks. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York, in a divided decision, said that the U.S. Federal Communications Commission was "arbitrary and capricious" in setting a new standard for defining indecency.

Full story here, but the best analysis and conversation taking place right now, in terms of new media useage too, is over at new media guru Jeff Jarvis' blog, BuzzMachine. As one commenter points out, the 1st Ammendment reads, "The Congress shall make NO laws..."

"It also does my heart good to see babyfaced FCC Chairman Kevin Martin having a hissy fit of cursing over the ruling.
No, Mr. Martin. What you say is bullshit. (Click to BuzzMachine here for all the bullshit.) It’s fucked up. It’s fucking stupid. I wish you would stay the fuck away from our First Amendment.
There is absolutely nothing sexual or scatological in what I’ve just said — first, because I can’t imagine saying anything involving Kevin Martin that is in any way sexual (though I guess some might say he’s kinda cute), and second because what I have just made is a political statement.
Here is my defense of bullshit as political speech a year ago. It’s just plain wrong to say that these words are sexual. And it’s worse for a government official to put himself in the position of judging our meaning, motive, and context to see what he will allow as a government censor. They’re just words, Mr. Martin. And the world did not collapse when you used them."

So FU, FCC... seems no one wants your "arbitary and capricious" governernment oversight anymore. Another blow to the dinos. And takes a little wind out of the sails that WSB-TV so puffed out about having to bend over so to the FCC that there's no way they could seriously entertain genuine citizen journalism, or letting in Joe Public so to speak, when we last met up with them.