Cranford, NJ — American Atheists filed a formal comment with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) opposing a proposed overhaul of the TV Oversight Monitoring Board and the nation’s television content rating system. The FCC’s proposal would pressure the industry to flag programming containing “gender identity themes” and add faith-based organizations to the TVOMB. These changes are, American Atheists argues, unconstitutional and directly contrary to the law Congress passed creating the current rating system.
Despite the Telecommunications Act of 1996 explicitly prohibiting ratings based on political or religious content, the FCC’s proposal intends to do exactly that. In the comment submitted to the FCC, American Atheists argues that this is intended to stigmatize LGBTQ-inclusive content and force the television industry to comply with the administration’s extreme political agenda.
“Weaponizing the TV rating system against communities and views this administration disfavors sets a dangerous precedent that should worry all Americans,” said American Atheists president Nick Fish. “This is yet another page out of the Christian Nationalist playbook — using the power of government to silence people who don’t fit a narrow, exclusionary vision of who belongs in American culture.”
You can read American Atheists’ comment here or on the FCC comment portal.
