Sable Communications Of California, Inc. v. FCC

492 U.S. 115 (1989)

Purchase the Printed Copy at bsmsphd.com

Nature of the Case

To access this section all you need to do is click here and register.

Facts

Sable Communications, Inc. began offering sexually oriented prerecorded telephone messages. Those who called the adult message number were charged a special fee. The fee was collected by Pacific Bell and divided between the phone company and the message provider. Sable (P) brought suit in District Court seeking declaratory and injunctive relief against enforcement of the recently amended § 223(b). The statute imposed a blanket prohibition on indecent as well as obscene interstate commercial telephone messages. The District Court rejected the argument that the statute was unconstitutional because it created a national standard of obscenity. It upheld the ban on obscene speech but struck down the 'indecent speech' provision holding that the statute was overbroad and unconstitutional. While the government unquestionably has a legitimate interest in, e.g., protecting children from exposure to indecent dial-a-porn messages, § 223(b) is not narrowly drawn to achieve any such purpose. A flat-out ban of indecent speech is contrary to the First Amendment.