(1 October 2005 9:00 pm)

MUMBAI: The number of indecency complaints filed against American radio and TV broadcasters by consumers has dropped to a two-year low, based on Federal Communications Commission (FCC) records.

The number of indecency complaints against television and radio broadcasters fell by more than 96 per cent during the second quarter.

The agency reported receiving 6,161 complaints about indecency between April and June, versus 157,016 complaints during the first quarter, the agency said in its quarterly update.

234 general criticisms about programming were logged against broadcasters, 13 were related to accessibility issues, and 21 were chalked up to "other" programming issues. 157,650 complaints were logged in the first quarter of 2005, of which all but 634 were directed at programming thought to be indecent or obscene.

The FCC will rule on 40-50 indecency complaints within the next few weeks. Rulings on an equal number of TV complaints are also expected within the same time frame. New FCC chairman Kevin Martin has made clearing a backlog in the commission's indecency docket a top priority. After writing a record-setting number of fines last year, the FCC hasn't written a single Notice of Apparent Liability for indecency this year media reports state.

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