M2D2
Please watch the following video. After you watch the video, you will answer the discussion questions.
On March 14, 2021, rapper Cardi B. and Megan Thee Stallion performed their hit collaboration "WAP" at the Grammy Awards. The controversial performance aired on CBS and consisted of Cardi B twerking, pole dancing, and engaging with Megan Thee Stallion on an oversized bed in an intimate dance that closely resembled sexual intercourse. The FCC received at least a thousand complaints about the performance, where some people were alleging that the performance represented pornography.
In February 2004, there was another instance where CBS presented a live broadcast of the National Football League’s Super Bowl XXXVIII, which included a halftime show produced by MTV Networks. Nearly 90 million viewers watched the Halftime Show, which began at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and lasted about 15 minutes. The Halftime Show featured a performance with Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake as a “surprise guest” for the final minutes of the show. In September, the Commission issued a Notice of Apparent Liability finding that CBS had apparently violated federal law and FCC rules restricting the broadcast of indecent material and determined that CBS was liable for a forfeiture penalty of $550,000 because its actions were willful.
Answer the following:
- Discuss who and what specifically give the FCC its authority to regulate this area.
- Discuss the steps in the rulemaking process.
- Discuss if you thought the FCC should have issued a ruling on the Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion 2021 performance and if they violated federal law and FCC rules.