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504 Cannon House Office
Building · Washington, DC 20515 For Immediate
Release Rep.
Pitts votes to protect religious broadcasters Washington—Rep. Joe Pitts
(R, PA-16) voted today to protect religious broadcasters from
restrictive rules from the Federal Communications Commission. The Noncommercial
Broadcasting Freedom of Expression Act of 2000, H.R. 4201, was
introduced in response to a December 1999 “guideline” issued by the
FCC restricting religious content in noncommercial programming. The measure passed on a vote
of 264 to 159. Though the guideline was rescinded in January, H.R.
4201 was introduced to prevent similar attempts in the future. Two
of our most precious freedoms are at stake here: the freedom of
expression and the freedom of religion,” said Rep. Pitts. “These freedoms are the core
of the Bill of Rights.
Do we really believe that the Founding Fathers wanted the
federal government to be restricting and regulating the free
exercise of religious expression on the airwaves? “This
legislation will send a strong message to the FCC that they cannot
and should not be restricting the free speech of religious
broadcasters. The
federal power to issue licenses and regulate commerce is a powerful
one. It should not be
misused to restrict our freedoms or to worship as we see fit.” # # # |
