The Federal Communications Commission is set to impose a record $550,000 indecency fine against CBS-owned stations for their broadcast of singer Janet Jackson's breast-bearing incident during January's Super Bowl, the Washington Post reported on Saturday.
The newspaper report, which cited unnamed FCC sources, said the agency was expected to vote unanimously for the fine, which would be the largest levied against a television broadcaster.
The amount represents a $27,500 fine for each of the 20 television stations owned by CBS, which in turn is owned by Viacom Inc, the paper said.
The decision could be released as early as next week, the paper said. Excluded from the fines are CBS's more than 200 affiliate stations, which also aired the half-time show during the National Football League championship game.
Although the vote was expected to be unanimous, some commissioners are expected to say the fines are not severe enough, the newspaper said.
It said the exclusion for affiliate stations was one source of disagreement among the five-member FCC, citing unnamed sources familiar with the agency's deliberations. A spokesman for the FCC would not comment on the pending ruling, the paper said.