Congressman Ronnie Shows
| For Immediate Release January 14, 2000 |
Contact: Burns
Strider 1-202-225-5865 1-888-997-9727 |
Congressman Shows Says NO to FCC's Move to Limit Religious
Broadcasting
Congressman Ronnie Shows Weekly Column for Week
of January 14, 2000
Congress has learned that on December 29, 1999, the Federal Communications Commission issued an Order giving their agency the right to begin dictating programming decisions to religious broadcasters, ordering that traditional religious content be replaced with non-religious, "educational" content. Let me say now, to the people of Mississippi's 4th District, this policy will not stand.
I can not begin to imagine what would happen if a Federal agency, such as the FCC, was allowed to dictate what a religious broadcaster, privately owned, can show on their television station. But, with Congress safely out of session, without benefit of public comment, the FCC decided that "religious exhortation, proselytizing, or statements of personally-held religious views and beliefs generally would not qualify as 'general educational' programming… Thus, church services generally would not qualify as 'general education' programming under our rules."
This Order is outrageous enough as it is. But, also think about the dangerous precedent being set that could lead to further suppression of religious broadcasting. What if Frank Pollard of the Baptist Hour could only talk about Jesus for half of its broadcast, or if the United Methodist Church or the Church of God were all limited in their freedom of religious expression? Friends, this does not reflect our values and it will not stand.
When Congress comes back at the end of January, we will take action to stop implementation of this Order. Religious broadcasters operate under an educational license and we will strongly remind the FCC that our faith and values are the bedrock of education. I have sent a letter to FCC Chairman Kennard, which states, in part, "We can never take our sites off the enduring values, in theory and practice, of the great freedoms our Constitution guarantees. In the final assessment, doesn't that really define America? You should reconsider the "Additional Guidance" section of Order 99-393 today."
I believe this is an error we can prayerfully correct over the next few weeks. Please join me in this endeavor with prayer and support. I will continue to update you as needed.
Ronnie Shows represents the 4th Congressional District of Mississippi in the United States Congress. He may be contacted by writing to: 509 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, or by calling his Jackson Office at 601-352-1355 or Washington Office at 202-225-5865. Congressman Shows can also be contacted on the World Wide Web at: http://www.house.gov/shows.