By this time next month, it's likely Congress will be mulling over a bill that would give the Federal Communications Commission a new portfolio: regulation of violence, sex and profanity on cable and satellite TV. The reaction of many will be, "Good. There's too much sex and gunplay on TV these days. Somebody should do something." In fact, we will all be better served if nobody does anything and this bill dies in a hail of "no" votes, its demise aired live on C-SPAN. There just isn't a pressing reason to extend government control over the content of televison.

The FCC is hankering for this authority; under the Bush administration, it has issued more fines against over-the-air broadcasters for indecency, even "fleeting" instances when someone appearing in a live broadcast shows too much skin or blurts out a profanity. Anyone can see these shows for free, the reasoning goes, so we should ensure they don't accidentally hear a dirty word.

That's accepted reasoning. But cable and satellite are not free; they must be purchased by consumers, who must know by now that they can carry programming more risqué than what's found on the networks. So the "accidental exposure" argument loses its power. Additionally, cable networks and TV manufacturers alike have given viewers many technological means to shield themselves from rougher content -- V-chips, channel blockers and the like. It's not enough for parents to say, "it's too complicated." If protecting a child from strong language is a priority, it's worth reading the manual to figure out how a V-chip works.

If the bill passes, it will punish many mainstream shows that viewers, voting with their remotes, have said they want to watch. "The Sopranos" would have racked up fines by the boatload if four-letter words and nudity on cable were impermissible when it aired, but at the same time, the show was hailed as a critical artistic acheivement for TV.

Lastly, this is a rearguard battle. More and more, the Internet is becoming a valid venue for video, even long-form TV-like shows, professionally produced. Video games, as well. Prudish cable TV would lose viewers to those media.

Who knows why the bill's sponsor, West Virginia Democratic senator Jay Rockefeller, thinks TV regulations need to swing toward the Victorian? Americans don't need hand-holding from their government as they entertain themselves.