How much regulation is too much regulation? The supreme court is currently considering taking a case that deals with the regulation of curse words and nudity on national television networks, such as ABC and NBC. This case stems partly from a 2003 episode of ABC’s television show “NYPD Blue” in which a woman’s bare buttocks was shown and broadcasters were fined.

Proponents of regulation are simply asking for the airwaves of national broadcasters to stay clean between 6am and 10pm, saying that this way parents can know for sure which channels will be safe for the whole family to enjoy.

Supporters also point out that these networks often own cable stations or movie production studios in which they are allowed to produce and air whatever kind of content they want.

Statistics show that 9 out of 10 households in America subscribe to either cable or satellite programming and those against regulation point out that with the simple touch of a button children are exposed to that kind of language and programming anyway.

They also say that not much would really change because national broadcasting channels are already sensitive to consumers who don’t want that kind of programming.

It has also been suggested that with the media now available through movies and internet content, children have plenty of other ways to access to this kind of content and regulating it on national broadcasting networks alone will not make a significant difference.

FCC Under Fire

The FCC is currently under fire in this case because of the lack of its ability to hold up its own regulations. In 1978 a New York radio station was fined after a 12 minute long George Carlin monologue which contained strings of expletives. The monologue was aired in the middle of the afternoon.

For years however, the FCC did not go after one time usage of curse words. This changed in 2002 and 2003 when during the Billboard Music awards in with both Cher and Nicole Ritchie dropped the F-bomb. Fines were not issued, but the FCC did state that these shows had violated their policy.

It will be interesting to see where this case ends up. Keep an eye on the news for more about television broadcast regulation.