F-Bombs OK? FCC Asks If It Should Ease Swearing, Nudity Ban

Should the Federal Communications Commission lighten up on enforcing its ban on swear words and nudity on broadcast media?

The agency has proposed doing just that — letting "fleeting" violations slide and enforcing its rules only for "egregious" offenses.

The FCC invited comments for 60 days on the enforcement change in an April 1, 2013 announcement (click on PDF thumbnail).

Grayslake residents are among those who have submitted comments.

"Profanity and nudity have no place in standard television and radio. I was already appalled when the word bitch was allowed! My children do not need to hear or see any of that. Satellite radio and cable television exist for those who want that content in their day to day lives," commented Tamara Rasmussen.

"In today's society I see nothing wrong with dropping the current decency laws and rules. I think if television treated or at the very least allowed writers to develop scripts that more closely followed the everyday language and nudity seen everyday, it would make most of it pretty ordinary and not such a shocker when seen. Yes definitely discontinue the current decency laws. But nudity should not only be allowed for women but men as well," commented Barry Beck.

"Please do not change the current regulations regarding expletives and nudity. We can speak our language clearly and concisely and relay a message in our language WITHOUT the use of words that do not serve to further clarify what we're trying to get across," commented Kathleen Barrett.

Comments submitted to the FCC are public. You can see them by searching a comment database at the FCC website.

The Minnesota Family Council sent an email April 9 (click on PDF thumbnail) asking people to submit comments such as: "I oppose any changes to the current FCC indecency standards that would allow television and radio stations to broadcast expletives and nudity on the public airwaves, even if brief or 'fleeting.'"

Click on the YouTube thumbnail (or visit YouTube.com) for an example of the "fleeting expletives" behind the U.S. Supreme Court case cited by the FCC. It's Cher at the 2002 Billboard Music Awards (6:00 mark — profanity warning).

Would you like the FCC to ease its enforcement of indecency rules on TV and radio broadcasters? Share your thoughts in the comments below.