Supreme Court Strikes Down FCC's Profanity Policy

Broadcasters won't have to pay fines, sanctions
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 21, 2012 10:14 AM CDT
Supreme Court Strikes Down FCC's Profanity Policy
This Jan. 25, 2012 file photo shows the US Supreme Court Building in Washington.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

The US Supreme Court has thrown out fines and sanctions against broadcasters who violated the FCC policy regulating curse words and nudity on broadcast television. The justices declined today to issue a broad ruling on the constitutionality of the FCC indecency policy. Instead, the court concluded only that broadcasters could not have known in advance that obscenities uttered during awards show programs and a brief display of nudity on an episode of ABC's NYPD Blue could give rise to sanctions. The justices said the FCC is free to revise its indecency policy. (More US Supreme Court stories.)

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