CBS and Fox have asked a court to move forward with their case challenging federal enforcement of broadcast indecency laws, while ABC supported a bid for delay from the Federal Communication
Commission, reports
Mediaweek. On July 5, the FCC told the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York that it wanted to give affiliates 60 days to argue against its March 15 decisions that
two common swear words are indecent when broadcast. Broadcasters had the chance to argue against the fines, but not the findings. The broadcasts cited were the 2002 and 2003 "Billboard Music
Awards" on Fox, "The Early Show" on CBS and "NYPD Blue" on ABC. On Friday, though, Fox and its affiliates told the court the FCC's motion "is a transparent attempt to
continue its practice of shielding its new indecency enforcement regime from judicial review despite the persistent chilling effect the new regime is having on broadcasters' First Amendment
rights." For CBS, the delay is "unnecessary" and the Tiffany Network said it would hamper efforts to move forward with the case.
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