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 STATEMENT  OF  CHAIRMAN  MICHAEL  K.  POWELL 
 Re:  Complaints  Against  Various  Broadcast  Licensees  Regarding  Their  Airing  of  the  “Golden  Globe  Awards”  Program 
 Today,  we  overturn  the  Enforcement  Bureau’s  October  2003  decision  and  find  that  the  use  of  the  “F-  word”  during  last  year’s  broadcast  of  the  Golden  Globes  violates  the  federal  statute. 
 This  sends  a  signal  to  the  industry  that  the  gratuitous  use  of  such  vulgar  language  on  broadcast  television  will  not  be  tolerated. 


 For  the  first  time,  the  Commission  has  applied  the  profanity  section  of  the  statute  for  the  broadcast  of  this  highly  offensive  word,  an  application  I  fully  support.  The  Commission  has  an 
 important  obligation  to  punish  those  who  violate  our  law.  In  administering  our  authority,  the  Commission  must  afford  parties  fair  warning  and  due  process  and  not  let  our  zeal  trample  these 
 fundamental  protections.  Given  that  today's  decision  clearly  departs  from  past  precedent  in  important  ways,  I  could  not  support  a  fine  retroactively  against  the  parties.  Prospectively,  parties 
 are  on  notice  that  they  could  now  face  significant  penalties  for  similar  violations. 
 Going  forward,  as  instructed  by  the  Supreme  Court,  we  must  use  our  enforcement  tools  cautiously.  As  I  have  said  since  becoming  a  Commissioner,  government  action  in  this  area  can 
 have  a  potential  chilling  effect  on  free  speech.  We  guard  against  this  by  ruling  when  a  clear  line  has  been  crossed  and  the  government  has  no  choice  but  to  act. 


 We  will  continue  to  respect  the  delicate  balance  of  protecting  the  interests  of  the  First  Amendment  with  the  need  to  protect  our  children. 
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