Janet Jackson&8217;s brief halftime show breast flash &8212; and the resulting legislation formed to deter such acts&8212; may wind up crippling some public TV stations.

Two years after the now infamous 2004 Super Bowl blunder, the shockwaves of the sleazy surprise are still being felt.

Earlier this year, new rules kicked into effect that allow the Federal Communications Commission to levy huge fines &8212; 10 times the previous levels &8212; for any broadcaster who violates the public decency standards.

The fear of the new broadcast decency rules has PBS leaders living in fear.

Since most PBS stations run on shoestring budgets, one huge fine could sink the stations permanently. The new maximum fine that can be issued per violation is $325,000.

A simple slip in a historical documentary could torpedo a station if someone is quoted using offensive language to describe something from history, a battle for example.

The same language that President Bush recently was caught using at the G8 Summit could cost a broadcaster thousands and thousands of dollars.

Somehow, that just doesn&8217;t seem fair, but it&8217;s unfortunately always the kind of thing that happens when government tries to legislate morality.

The only solace is that satellite TV and radio providers are signing up new customers in record numbers. Does that mean that the days of regular radio and TV broadcast &8212; and ultimately the FCC &8212; are numbered?

We&8217;re not sure, but we hope PBS will do a nice, profanity-free documentary about it and explore the topic a bit.