Clear Channel is asking the FCC to applying indecency laws to satellite radio, currently a free-fire zone where the likes of Howard Stern can say all of the 7 words, plus many more.

That's a silly idea, but one FCC boss Kevin Martin might possibly entertain, because Kevin Martin has a history of entertaining silly ideas.

Kevin Martin might want to regulate satellite radio because he's worried about decency (or courting voters who care about decency). But Clear Channel doesn't care about decency: It just doesn't want to lose more listeners to a merged XM (XMSR) and Sirius (SIRI). And it's not afraid to say so:

'One of the primary potential dangers to free, over-the-air radio posed by this merger is siphoning popular, including 'edgy' content, with consequent loss of advertising revenue. That potential harm is mitigated if broadcast decency rules were to apply to the merged entity. There is no constitutional bar to such a condition."

Translation: Stronger satellite radio will mean our crappy offerings will get even crappier. Please! Don't make us compete!

See Also:

DOJ Approves XM-Sirius Merger After a Hasty 15 Months of Deliberation

FCC: We're Getting Ready to Rule on XM-Sirius Someday