To prohibit the Federal Communications Commission from imposing penalties for indecent broadcasts on providers of video over cable television systems, satellite carriers, the Internet, or non-broadcast providers.

March 17, 2005

Mr. SANDERS (for himself, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. PAUL, Mr. BOUCHER, Mr. MCDERMOTT, and Ms. WATSON) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

To prohibit the Federal Communications Commission from imposing penalties for indecent broadcasts on providers of video over cable television systems, satellite carriers, the Internet, or non-broadcast providers.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Stamp Out Censorship Act of 2005'.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION.

Section 503 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 503) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:

`(c) Indecency Authority Available Only With Respect to Broadcasting- This section shall be construed to permit the Commission to impose a forfeiture penalty under this section with respect to any indecent utterance only if that utterance is broadcast by a radio or television broadcasting station.'.

END