The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee chairman says cable TV and satellite radio should be governed by the same indecency rules as over-the-air broadcasters.

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Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Ala., said Tuesday he will work to impose indecency regulations on cable and satellite channels, the Washington Post reports.

The subscription channels are filled with content and language that would result in fines by the Federal Communications Commission for traditional media.

"We put restrictions on the over-the-air signals," Stevens said after an address to the National Association of Broadcasters. "I think we can put restrictions on cable itself. At least I intend to do my best to push that."

The federal government resisted policing cable previously since consumers pay for the content, but Stevens said he thinks the Supreme Court would uphold equal decency standards.

The regulation-wary cable industry said the ability to block programs is sufficient. Other politicians worry attempts to regulate cable would derail efforts to raise over-the-air indecency fines to $500,000 per incident.

Separately, David Solomon, head of the FCC's enforcement bureau, told his staff he will end his 18 years with the agency in May, the newspaper reported.