Current Status Bill Number:4426 Type of Legislation:General Bill GB Introducing Body:House Introduced Date:19980115 Primary Sponsor:Haskins All Sponsors:Haskins, Campsen, Altman, Simrill, R. Smith, Loftis, Barfield, Hamilton, Sharpe, Davenport, Stille, Meacham, Sandifer, Young, A. Harris, Easterday Drafted Document Number:bbm\9582jm.98 Residing Body:House Current Committee:Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee 26 HLCI Subject:Cable television companies to blacken screen and eliminate sound when sexual or adult content; Crimes, Obscenity
Body Date Action Description Com Leg Involved ______ ________ _______________________________________ _______ ____________ House 19980121 Co-Sponsor added (Rule 5.2) by Rep. Easterday House 19980115 Introduced, read first time, 26 HLCI referred to CommitteeView additional legislative information at the LPITS web site.
TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 58-12-140 SO AS TO REQUIRE CABLE TELEVISION COMPANIES TO BLACKEN THE SCREEN AND ELIMINATE ALL SOUND WITH RESPECT TO EACH CHANNEL SUCH A COMPANY BROADCASTS WHICH IS SEXUALLY ORIENTED AND CONTAINS ADULT LANGUAGE AND CONTENT IN THE CASE OF ALL NONSUBSCRIBERS OF THESE CHANNELS AND TO PROVIDE FOR FORFEITURE OF THE FRANCHISE LICENSE FOR A COMPANY WHICH FAILS TO COMPLY WITH THIS SECTION.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. The 1976 Code is amended by adding:
"Section 58-12-140. Every cable television company operating in the State shall blacken the screen and eliminate all sound with respect to each channel the company broadcasts which is sexually oriented and contains adult language and content in the case of all nonsubscribers of these channels.
A cable television company which fails to comply with this section shall forfeit its franchise license for the territory in which the company failed to comply with these provisions."
SECTION 2. This act takes effect ninety days after approval by the Governor.