As well as defending tough new fines, the US Federal Communications Commission has called on radio and TV broadcasters to do more to serve the public interest.
The strict new moral code has been slammed as heavy handed by broadcasters attending a conference in Las Vegas. Delegates to the National Association of Broadcasters conference say they should be able regulate themselves.
But calls for self regulation were rejected by FCC chairman Michael Powell, who was attending the conference. He told them they must accept the fact that the Supreme Court has limits on sexual and explicit language on the air.
"The indecency provision that is being administered today is the same one that's been around for decades. You do not want the government to write a red book of what you can say and not say," Powell told delegates.
The current furore exploded with the exposure of Janet Jackson's nipple on national television during the Super Bowl in January. It was further fuelled by smutty DJ Howard Stern, who was been dumped by Clear Channel Communications after it adopted a "zero tolerance" policy toward indecency.
Stern's fall came after an interview with Rick Salomon, now infamous for releasing a movie of himself having sex with heiress Paris Hilton. In the interview Stern asked Salomon if he had anal sex with Hilton and asked him about the size of his penis. Clear Channel said the show crossed the line.
The crackdown on bare flesh and lewdness is hitting all corners. Last week Budweiser said that it would tone down its US advertising in response to the Puritannical mood sweeping the nation. Now attention is also turning to talk show queen Oprah Winfrey who is being investigated after a programme aired that discussed sex.
At the conference, broadcasters were also urged to adopt their own codes of conduct by Michael Copps, one of the most hard-line members of the FCC.
"I would like to see the industry step up and put the commission on the sidelines. Until that time, the FCC has an obligation to enforce and use all the tools we have," he said.
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