AK Senator wants to CENSOR PAY TV?!?! WTF?

[UdoKier]

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/ns/news/story.jsp?id=2005030113370002099374&dt=20050301133700&w=RTR&coview=

enator: Decency Rules Should Apply to Pay TV, Radio


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens said on Tuesday he would push for applying broadcast decency standards to cable television and subscription satellite TV and radio.

"Cable is a much greater violator in the indecency area," the Alaska Republican told the National Association of Broadcasters, which represents most local television and radio affiliates. "I think we have the same power to deal with cable as over-the-air" broadcasters.

"There has to be some standard of decency," he said. But he also cautioned that "No one wants censorship."


WTF? I'm annoyed as hell sometimes by the lurid commercials (esp. since the V-chip doesn't work on commercials...) on free cable channels, but Pay TV? This is ridiculous.

[realisticphish]

1. heres what gets me

"I think we have the same power to deal with cable as over-the-air" broadcasters. "


uh, no, you DON'T. You dipshit.

[democracyindanger]

2. Heh. Good luck.

Adelphia and Comcast will place a call to the RNC, and that'll be the end of that.

[WillowTree]

3. I agree.

It is ridiculous. I hadn't heard the part about Pay Per View channels but my guess is that they only put that in to use as a bargaining chip. They'll bargain that part away in exchange for getting the "decency" standards applied to the regular cable channels.

But let's be clear here. NONE of cable TV is "free". They've got their standards on the broadcast channels and I don't really have a big problem with that. Extending it to cable at all is going too far.

Not that I'm too worried about it. I doubt that it'll pass anyway.

[UdoKier]

6. Cable is included in my rent.

And I get a bunch of crap channels I never watch along with the few I do for 'free'. - As opposed to premium channels which I would have to order specifically and pay for. There should be no restrictions on premium channels. I'm a bit torn about the "free" cable channels... If the V-chip would work more consistently, I'd feel a bit better...

[WillowTree]

11. Well...

....but it isn't really free. The charges for basic cable are just included with your rent. Just like my heat and water aren't free but rather included in my monthly condo association fee which also pays for trash collection, maintenance of common grounds, HOA insurance etc.

I personally wouldn't have a problem with the standards being applied to basic cable. Personally, I wouldn't have a problem with the standards being applied to premium channels, either, because my viewing tastes are such that it probably wouldn't significantly alter what I'd be watching, anyway.

But I'm not the whole world and just because I choose not to watch the kind of programs which are likely to be censored doesn't mean that I think that they shouldn't be available to those who want them. I guess I just feel that if broadcast TV is kept "family friendly", then those who are paying for cable should have more choice.

Anyway, don't most cable and satellite boxes now have parental controls and lock-outs so that kids can't get into the programming that may be objectionable to their parents without Mom or Dad having to unlock it? I know mine do. I don't have kids in the house so that's not an issue for me, but I've got my satellite boxes set to very effectively lock-out channels I'm POed at. People need to use those to set the standards they wish to adhere to in their own homes and leave the choices open to others. But that's just my opinion.

[UdoKier]

13. There is no cable box with basic cable here.

I can block channels on my TV, but why should I have to block Comedy Central & Nickelodeon? That's where they show those smutty commercials that the V-Chip will not block. Granted they are only on late at night right now, but there seems to be a slippery slope happening lately - that kind of crap was not on basic cable COMMERCIALs 10 years ago. I've never objected to "skinemax"...

[mermaid]

15. I Hate The V-Chip

Just another way for parents to push of their responsibity to BE PARENTS onto someone or something else.

Have all you people who have the V-Chip forgotten there a BUTTONS on the remote?? and that some of them ACTUALLY CHANGE THE STATION???

Imagine that, you can actually CHANGE THE STATION!! Or better yet, how about turning the goddam idiot box off altogether and read a good book with your kids?

[WillowTree]

16. That would be just a swell suggestion...

....except that it assumes that parents can be present in the same room with each child 24/7/365 to play TV cop. They can't.

That's why I like the channel locks. Whenever there's a doubt, lock it out. That way a parent can have some control and the child can still have access to programming that the parent feels confident is OK when Mom and Dad are out/at work/busy elsewhere in the house.

[enigmatic]

4. Canadian Free Cable TV.....

Has more skin then US pay tv, and they haven't managed to turn into Satan's little helpers; hell, CBC shows skin, and there's no outcry by anyone up here, either..

[UdoKier]

7. It's not the skin that bugs me.

It's the crass, debased attitude that so often accompanies it. I'd rather my kids see beautifully photographed, full-on nudity with some dignity, even beautifully done sex, than the crass, ugly behavior on "Girls Gone Wild" commercials or Howard Stern. The little blurred-out bits don't make it any less repulsive. I'd hate for my sons to think of girls that way, or to find trash girls like that attractive. I hope they'll have some taste...

I also have a problem with the violence.

There used to be a thing called erotica. It was beautiful and sexy to look at. It's been replaced by something I don't even recognize, it's so tacky and obnoxious.

[enigmatic]

14. Well, that's what I mean..

There's no X-rated films playing on free cable of over the air TV, but the idea of a network showing a naked body up here doesn't raise an eyelash simply because the naked body hasn't been demonized.

[DrCorday]

5. Let's censor the internet!!

It's what's next.

Because you know, you can say whatever you want so long as it's fair and decent.

Sometimes I wonder how one can brag about their commitment to "American values" and "freedom," and at the same time argue for the encroachment upon the freedom of speech. It's not like the freedom of speech is an American value. We only wrote it into the Constitution...

FUCK REPUBLICANS!!!! AGHHHH!!!

Ahh, all better.

[FreedomAngel82]

8. This is ridiculous

It's called "pay tv" for a reason. You have to pay for it to see it. If you don't want to watch it: DON'T BUY IT! God. These people are getting on my nervous. :argh:

[SoCalDem]

10. It's NOT about the "morality"... It's about MONEY

People who are willing to pay to see UNcensored stuff on TV are "missing out" on the horrid commercials that literally infest "regular" tv. Companies who DO cross over advertise on cable for shows that "cross the line", will still get trashed by the fundies who monitor everything. The solution is to "ruin" cable tv so they can feel free to advertise there too:(

[tridim]

9. I wonder if he wants to censor all the whacko-religious channels on cable?

I think he's doing this for the Fundies.

[Blue_In_AK]

12. Ted's just getting old and senile...

...and trying to prove that he's still relevant somehow. At 82 years of age, I doubt he'll be around too much longer.