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Halftime hullabaloo, continued: Martin, Adelstein weigh in

It's now unanimous. All five FCC Commissioners have issued statements on the Jackson-Timberlake Super Bowl halftime episode. In joining the Commission crowd, both Republican Kevin Martin and Democrat Jonathan Adelstein applauded FCC Chairman Michael Powell's decision to investigate. For his part, Powell showed up on NBC's Today Show (see related story).

Martin wrote, "I am dismayed and disappointed by the broadcast of the halftime show of the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is a time when families gather around the television. Indeed, the broadcast of indecent programming is prohibited before 10:000 PM because children are likely to be in the audience. I agree with Chairman Powell that our nation's children, parents and citizens deserve better."

Noting his calls for more action during the past year and before, he continued, "If we were implementing our statutory mandate effectively, our rules would serve as a significant deterrent to broadcasters considering the airing of obscene, indecent and profane material, and our fines would punish violators sternly. I am concerned that we are failing on both fronts. Indecency complaints used to number in the hundreds, we now receive them by the tens of thousands. Clearly, consumers are concerned. The FCC needs to respond."

According to an article in the Washington Post, Martin is considering looking into extending indecency restrictions to cable television programming, if and where possible.

Adelstein was succinct. "I applaud the Chairman for launching an immediate investigation into last night's broadcast of the Super Bowl halftime show. The Super Bowl should be a time families can spend together in their homes without the intrusion of tasteless and inappropriate behavior. I look forward to a swift resolution of the FCC's investigation."