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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Patrick Ross
April 4, 2005
(202) 289-8928
   
April 8 Indecency Seminar Update
Allbritton's Fritz Will Bring a Broadcaster's Perspective

WASHINGTON D.C. - A longtime broadcast-industry executive has been added to the April 8 Progress & Freedom Foundation Congressional Seminar on Capitol Hill. Jerald Fritz, senior vice president for legal and strategic affairs of Allbritton Communications Company, will be part of the PFF Congressional Seminar "The Indecency Debate: Should Congress Extend Broadcast Rules to Other Media." The luncheon panel, the first sponsored by PFF's new Center for Digital Media Freedom, takes place April 8 from 12:00 - 2 p.m. in the Rayburn House Office Building, Room B-369.

The indecency debate was hot last year after the famous Janet Jackson episode aired on Fox during the Superbowl half-time show. It has become even hotter recently, however, as Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and House Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton (R-Texas) both have vowed to tackle not just broadcast indecency but content they feel is inappropriate on other media. Recently, Senators Jay Rockefeller (D-West Virginia) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) introduced a bill (S-616) that would target not just broadcast content but basic cable fare as well.

Fritz will join two other panelists. One will be PFF Senior Fellow Adam Thierer, director of the Center for Digital Media Freedom. The other will be Jill Luckett, Senior Vice President of Program Network Policy at the National Cable & Telecommunications Association. Luckett was a Special Advisor to former FCC Commissioner Rochelle Chong and served as a legislative aide to former U.S. Senator Robert Packwood (R-Oregon). Fritz has held his post for seventeen years, serving as general counsel for Allbritton's eight ABC-affiliated television stations, three newspapers, its cable news channel and various Internet ventures. Previously he was Chief of Staff to FCC Chairman Mark Fowler. Fritz replaces National Association of Broadcasters Executive Vice President, Law and Regulatory Policy Marsha J. MacBride on the panel.

Those interested in attending the PFF Congressional Seminar "The Indecency Debate: Should Congress Extend Broadcast Rules to Other Media" should register online. Lunch will be served. Media questions should be directed to Patrick Ross at 202-289-8928 or pross@pff.org. Other questions should be directed to Eileen Goulding at 202-289-8928 or egoulding@pff.org.

The Progress & Freedom Foundation is a market-oriented think tank that studies the digital revolution and its implications for public policy. It is a 501(c)(3) research & educational organization.

 

 

The Progress & Freedom Foundation