Broadcasters’ Indecency Threat May Ease on High Court Review

The U.S. Supreme Court may loosen or eliminate restrictions on indecent broadcasts as it decides if regulators improperly penalized News Corp.’s Fox and Walt Disney Co.’s ABC for shows involving foul language and nudity.

The justices yesterday said they will consider whether the Federal Communications Commission’s indecency policy, which calls for fines of up to $325,000, violates First Amendment guarantees of free speech. The case stems from expletives uttered on two Fox network award shows and from a scene with a naked woman on ABC’s “NYPD Blue.”