HOUSE
TO VOTE ON BILL PROTECTING RELIGIOUS BROADCASTERS FROM
FCC
For
immediate release
June
13, 2000
Manassas,
VA
– Nearly six months after the Federal Communications Commission rescinded the
controversial Cornerstone/WQED decision restricting religious speech on
noncommercial educational TV stations, the U.S. House of Representatives stands
ready to prohibit the FCC from targeting religious programming ever
again.
The
Noncommercial Broadcasting Freedom of Expression Act, HR 4201, introduced by
Rep. Chip Pickering (R-MS), passed the House Commerce Committee in May and is
scheduled for debate on the House floor during the week of June 19th.
The bill is designed to require the FCC to treat religious programming on par
with other educational and cultural programming and prevent the Commission from
engaging in regulating the content of speech broadcast by noncommercial
educational stations.
In
a memo urging NRB members to support the legislation NRB president E. Brandt
Gustavson said, “In Washington, bad ideas never seem to go away; they are
often resurrected a piece at a time. We must not allow this to happen with the
Cornerstone decision. We fear that the underlying philosophy that allowed such a
decision in the first place is still alive at the
Commission.”
Public
outcry to the FCC’s original decision of December 29, 1999, was so intense that
the Commission rescinded the restrictions on January 28, 2000. Commissioner
Harold Furchtgott-Roth, who opposed the restrictions, noted in his statement
following the reversal, “Reaction against this decision was swift, strong,
and voluminous. In the past two weeks alone, I have received more than 1,000
messages from opposed citizens. Many members of Congress have also voiced their
strong objections in letters to the Commission; in fact, legislation to
counteract the decision was introduced almost immediately after its
release.”
In
testimony to the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications in April Gustavson
said, “We believe that the freedom of religious expression is an issue that
transcends party lines because it is the basis of our development as a nation.
This is a time to set aside political divisions and join together to protect our
liberty. Once this bill is passed, we trust our freedom of religious speech will
be protected from an activist government agency.”
National
Religious Broadcasters is an association of Christian communicators representing
more than 1250 members. NRB fosters electronic media access for the Gospel;
promotes standards of excellence, integrity and accountability; and provides
networking and fellowshipping opportunities for its members. For more
information, see the NRB Web site, www.nrb.org.
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