Supreme Court's 'Seven Dirty Words' Redux

Jan. 19 (Bloomberg Law) — Since 1978, in the wake of a radio broadcast of comedian George Carlin’s “seven dirty words” routine, the Federal Communications Commission has banned indecent material from both broadcast radio and television from 6 a.m. to 10 pm. But today, roughly 90 percent of households receive “broadcast” television content through cable or satellite, alongside basic cable and pay channels that are not subject to the indecency rules. Is it time for the rules to catch up to the technology? Bloomberg Law’s Josh Block talks with Tom Taylor, an editor of Bloomberg BNA’s U.S. Law Week, about last week’s Supreme Court oral arguments in FCC v. Fox Television Stations Inc., which could substantially alter the regulatory regime.