The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is planning to rule on approximately 40 indecency cases over the next few weeks, according to Reuters' source. The FCC will also consider a proposal to rule that the word "shit" is profane and in violation of the limits of decency when used in certain contexts. The decision was caused by complaints over Nicole Richie's use of the word during the 2003 Billboard Music Awards on Fox, as well as the already off-limits f-bomb.

The rulings would be the first FCC decency actions since 2004. Reuters' source also says that the FCC will uphold its fining of twenty CBS television stations for the now-infamous Janet Jackson Super Bowl moment from two years ago. CBS had appealed the initial decision, which would fine the stations a total of $550,000. The other rulings are expected to be a mix of fines and warnings to broadcasters. However, the FCC is also expected to also throw out over two dozen cases where complaints were found to be meritless.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin had vowed in the past to take a tougher stance on decency issues. However, Martin's predecessor, former FCC Chairman Michael Powell, has shifted his stance on indecency. Speaking at the Silicon Flatirons Telecom Policy Conference at the University of Colorado, Powell urged more parental control, a change from his tenure at the FCC when he tried to control indecency using fines and the commission's leverage in other areas of influence over television and radio.

"There is no passive fix," said Powell. "You can cut off TV all day, and they find something through the Xbox 360. Parents have to be involved in their childrens' lives, and what they cull from that universe. If you don't do that, [it doesn't matter] how many laws we pass."