At long last, the FCC’s new anti-obscenity drive is achieving the intended “chilling effect.” A number of ABC affiliate TV stations are refusing to carry the network’s broadcast of “Saving Private Ryan.”

“Would the FCC conclude that the movie has sufficient social, artistic, literary, historical or other kinds of value that would protect us from breaking the law?” WOI-TV President Raymond Cole said in a statement appearing on its Web site. “With the current FCC, we just don’t know.”

An FCC spokewoman said the agency wouldn’t tell stations whether the program would run afoul of indecency rules “because that would be censorship.” She added, without irony, “If we get a complaint, we’ll act on it.”

Among the balking stations are Sinclair Broadcasting’s six ABC affiliates (including the ABC affiliate here in Columbus, Ohio). This seems to fit right in with Sinclair’s decision earlier this year to ban Nightline’s tribute to fallen U.S. soldiers in Iraq.

Take that, Janet Jackson!