Washington- Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., has been blocked in his effort to circumvent Senate Commerce Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, and move pending broadcast “indecency” legislation to the Senate floor, industry and congressional sources said.
Frist decided to “hotline” a bill previously approved by the House that would raise television and radio indecency violations from $32,500 to $500,000 per incident. The so-called hotline procedure allows a bill to bypass committee action and move directly to the floor.
But several senators from both parties placed procedural “holds” on the measure — halting the hotline maneuver, sources said.
Frist, a potential presidential contender in 2008, has been under pressure for months from faith-based and family groups such as the American Family Association, Concerned Women for America, Family Research Council and Parents Television Council to move on indecency legislation.
“There are problems with the bill on both sides of the aisle,” Frist spokeswoman Amy Call said. “The goal here is to start working through those concerns to get a bill.”
Some observers said Frist has been reluctant to circumvent Stevens — but buckled under pressure from advocacy groups. Howevers, Lisa Sutherland, staff director for the Senate Commerce Committee, said her boss does not object to Frist’s strategy and did not impose a hold.
“Sen. Frist told us that he’d like to hotline the bill, and Sen. Stevens agreed,” she said.
Declared PTC President Brent Bozell: “Any senator who blocks passage of the indecency legislation is siding with those who want to pollute the airwaves with raunch and is against the American people. Let me be very clear about this: We will make a national issue out of this should any senator attempt to block the will of the American people.”
Stevens, meanwhile, has been criticized for not considering indecency legislation in his powerful committee.
He did not address the topic in a major telecommunications bill released this week, and has not followed through yet on an announcement earlier this year by Sutherland that he would craft an indecency measure.
But his supporters emphasized that he brokered an agreement by cable operators to offer family-friendly tiers of programming, and that he has held hearings and listening sessions on indecency.
Stevens is ready to pursue legislation if industry efforts to educate viewers about parental controls fail, those in his corner say.
On Wednesday morning, Sutherland sent an e-mail to Senate Republicans alerting them of Frist’s plans and — in the view of critics — raising concerns.
“That bill includes fine increases on broadcasters and on-air talent, and includes a three-strikes-and-you’re-out provision under which a broadcaster would lose his license after three decency complaints,” she wrote.
Some accused Sutherland of distorting the facts to spark opposition. “Either A, she had bad information, or B, she is willfully misleading people,” PTC’s Dan Isett contended. He said the bill would not result in the loss of a license after three indecency complaints.
Responded Sutherland: “All we were doing was just letting them know this was coming. They’re reading way too much into this.”