The FCC has each of these powers EXCEPT:
A. Regulating radio broadcasts
B. Censoring programs before they are broadcast
C. Refusing to renew a broadcast station's license
D. Banning obscene language
I thought that they could do all of these things? I tried looking this up on Google but didn't have the best luck.
Thanks in advance!
Jay
Favorite Answer
I dislike it when people post multiple choice questions, as if we didn't know that they were cheating on their homework. But I believe that you're honestly trying to understand and have put in the work.
Let's look at (D). Of course they can't ban obscene language. People curse all of the time, on the street, in movies, and so forth. The FCC cannot stop any of this. All they can do is regulate obscene language when used in a medium for which they have jurisdiction. Namely, radio and television broadcast. So, clearly (D) is not right.
The other things, and many people don't realize this, is that the FCC does not review programming before it's broadcast. The FCC only acts on complaints, after something is broadcast. In other words, if there is a TV show that contains the filthiest of language, and no one complains, the FCC can do nothing about it. Case in point: there was a broadcast of "Saving Private Ryan" on non-cable television. Despite it being (mostly) uncut, there were no fines because the FCC received few complaints.
So, (B) is also not true. People will argue that it is. But, from a legal perspective, the FCC cannot censor something before broadcast.
Anonymous
I thought they could do all four of those things and that they had the authority to do so. But at the same time there are billionaire corporate tycoons that own too much of the broadcast business and they use their money to bribe the F.C.C. to allow them to pretty much do what ever they want. In 2002, Rupert Murdock, Michael Eisner, Sumner Redstone and Richard Parsons successfully bribed the then F.C.C. chairman Michael Powell into raising the limits on how much of all the general media that a single entity can own. See, the F.C.C. was initially protecting the open market from monopolism, but Michael Powell screwed us all in exchange for a couple million dollars in bribary and many fancy dinners and probable a good whore or two. Now you can get an idea of how much our congressmen love us Americans.
SckMyDik_217
its (B) guys gradpoint/novanet