FCC considering petition to ban use of 'Redskins'

WASHINGTON — The head of the Federal Communications Commission says the agency will consider a petition to ban the Washington Redskins nickname from the public airwaves.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler says Tuesday that the commission “will be dealing with that issue on the merits, and we’ll be responding accordingly.”

A law professor has challenged the use of the name on broadcast television, saying it violates FCC rules against indecent content. Native American and other groups have demanded the name be changed, calling it a racial slur.

Wheeler did not offer a timetable for a ruling on the matter. He has previously said he finds the name “offensive and derogatory,” but that he hoped Redskins owner Dan Snyder would change it without any formal action.

Snyder has vowed never to change the name.

ASSOCIATED PRESS