Last week, U.S. Senators Wayne Allard, Olympia Snowe, and Susan Collins
wrote to the Federal Communications Commission to urge them to ensure
that the public and Congress have the opportunity to review and comment
on any specific changes the Commission plans to make to the media ownership
rules before they are issued in final form. We wholeheartedly support
this request. We believe it is a fair and prudent way to proceed on a
matter that could have a sweeping impact on what news and information
Americans see and hear in the future. We urge you to also contact the
Commission to support this critical effort.
The Commission is considering possible changes to broadcast ownership
rules which were put in place by Congress to ensure that the public would
have access to a wide range of news, information, and programming, as
well as diverse political views. Repeal or significant modification of
these rules would likely open the door to numerous mergers that could
reduce competition and diversity in the media.
A final rule, significantly altering media ownership limits, could have
serious ramifications for robust public debate and the marketplace of
ideas. The mass media provide Americans the information and news they
need to participate fully in our democratic society. If media ownership
rules are seriously weakened, one company in a town could control the
most popular newspaper, TV station, and possibly even a cable system giving
it dominant influence over the content and slant of local news. Such a
move would reduce the diversity of cultural and political discussion in
a community. It could also raise costs for businesses that use local media
for advertising.
The Commission issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on media ownership
that proposed no actual rule. Accordingly, no comment has been received
on any specific changes. Additional input from Congress and the public
will help the Commission see the strengths and weaknesses of any new approach.
It is absolutely essential for the Commission to justify publicly how
any changes in media ownership rules will promote diversity, competition,
and localism before issuing a final rule. The Commission should provide
a detailed description of all proposed changes, their empirical basis,
and a meaningful period of time for the public and Congress to review
and comment on such changes.
The stakes for citizens and the nation are enormous. The Commission should
do everything in its power to keep the rulemaking process as open and
inclusive as possible. We hope you will agree with us that more information,
not less, about proposed changes would best serve the public interest,
and that you will contact the Commission about this important matter.
If you have any questions, please contact Consumers Union at 202-462-6262.
Sincerely,
Gene Kimmelman, Senior Director of Public Policy and Advocacy
Consumers Union
Raul Yzaguirre, President
National Council of La Raza
Jennifer Toomey, Executive Director
Future of Music Coalition
Reverend Robert Chase
Executive Director
Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ, Inc
Mark Cooper, Research Director
Consumer Federation of America
Elizabeth Peters, Executive Director
The Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers
Martha Leslie Allen, Director
Women’s Institute for Freedom of the Press
Wade Henderson, Executive Director
Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
Leonard Hill
Chair of the Government Affairs Committee
The Caucus for Producers, Writers and Directors
Patti Miller, Director
Children and the Media Program
Children Now
Jonathan Rintels, Executive Director
Center for the Creative Community
Andrew Jay Schwartzman, President
Media Access Project
Jeff Chester, Executive Director
Center for Digital Democracy
Sandra Ortiz, Executive Director
Center for Communication Law and Policy
University of Southern California
March 25, 2003
Dear Chairman Powell:
You have received a letter from U.S. Senators Wayne Allard, Olympia Snowe,
and Susan Collins urging the Federal Communications Commission to ensure
that the public and Congress have the opportunity to review and comment
on any specific changes the Commission plans to make to the media ownership
rules before they are issued in final form.
We wholeheartedly support the Senators' request. We believe it is a fair
and prudent way to proceed on a matter that could have a sweeping impact
on what news and information Americans see and hear in the future.
The Commission is considering possible changes to broadcast ownership
rules which were put in place by Congress to ensure that the public would
have access to a wide range of news, information, and programming, as
well as diverse political views. Repeal or significant modification of
these rules would likely open the door to numerous mergers that could
reduce competition and diversity in the media.
A final rule, significantly altering media ownership limits, could have
serious ramifications for robust public debate and the marketplace of
ideas. The mass media provide Americans the information and news they
need to participate fully in our democratic society. If media ownership
rules are seriously weakened, one company in a town could control the
most popular newspaper, TV station, and possibly even a cable system giving
it dominant influence over the content and slant of local news. Such a
move would reduce the diversity of cultural and political discussion in
a community. It could also raise costs for businesses that use local media
for advertising.
While the Commission issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on media ownership,
it proposed no actual rule. Accordingly, no public comment has been received
on any specific changes. We believe that additional input from Congress
and the public will help the Commission see the strengths and weaknesses
of any new approach.
We believe that Senators Allard, Snowe and Collins were correct in urging
the Commission to justify publicly how any changes in media ownership
rules "will promote diversity, competition, and localism" before
issuing a final rule. We share the Senators' interest in seeing the Commission
provide a detailed description of all proposed changes, their empirical
basis, and a meaningful period of time for the public and Congress to
review and comment on any changes.
The stakes for citizens and the nation are enormous. More information,
not less, about proposed changes would best serve the public interest.
Indeed, we hope the Commission would do everything in its power to keep
the rulemaking process as open and inclusive as possible, including immediately
agreeing to the Senators' request.
Sincerely,
Gene Kimmelman, Senior Director of Public Policy and Advocacy
Consumers Union
Paul E. Almeida, President
Department of Professional Employees AFL-CIO
Linda Foley, President
Newspaper Guild
Communications Workers of America
Raul Yzaguirre, President
National Council of La Raza
Jennifer Toomey, Executive Director
Future of Music Coalition
Reverend Robert Chase
Executive Director
Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ, Inc
Mark Cooper, Research Director
Consumer Federation of America
Mona Mangan, Executive Director
Writers Guild of America, East
Thomas Lee, President
American Federation of Musicians
Elizabeth Peters, Executive Director
The Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers
Martha Leslie Allen, Director
Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press
John J. Sweeney, President
AFL-CIO
Wade Henderson, Executive Director
Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
John Clark, President
National Association of Broadcasting Employees and Technicians
Communications Workers of America
John Connolly, President
American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
Leonard Hill
Chair of the Government Affairs Committee
The Caucus for Producers, Writers and Directors
Patti Miller, Director
Children and the Media Program
Children Now
Jonathan Rintels, Executive Director
Center for the Creative Community
Andrew Jay Schwartzman, President
Media Access Project
Jeff Chester, Executive Director
Center for Digital Democracy
Sandra Ortiz, Executive Director
Center for Communication Law and Policy
University of Southern California
cc: The Honorable Kathleen Q. Abernathy
The Honorable Jonathan Steven Adelstein
The Honorable Michael J. Copps
The Honorable Kevin J. Martin
Senate Panel Votes to Change FCC Decision Senate Committee Approves Bill
to Roll Back FCC Changes in Media Ownership Rules AP,
June 19, 2003
Write Letters to your Members of Congress and Key Policymakers
Even though the FCC voted 3-2 on June 2 to relax media ownership rules,
the fight is not over -- it hust moves over to Congress where a number
of key Senate Committees are considering legislation that would roll back
some of the FCC's recent rule changes.
If you have a story or an opinion on these issues, contact your members
of Congress. This can happen by phone or email. To find your representatives’
addresses visit http://www.congress.org
Here are some additional policymakers who need to hear from citizens who
are concerned about media consolidation:
Senator John McCain
241 Russell Senate Office Bldg.
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510 McCain is chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, which
deals with these matters.
Senator Ernest Hollings
125 Russell Senate Office Bldg.
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510 Hollings is the minority chair of the Senate Commerce Committee and
would most likely support legislation restraining further consolidation
Senator Russell Feingold
506 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-4904
Feingold has already introduced the Competition
in Radio and Concert Industries Act -- legislation that would curb
the negative impacts of radio consolidation.
more news stories...
The big blackout Surprise, surprise: The TV networks that will benefit from the new
FCC rules on media ownership have been keeping their viewers in the dark
about the changes.
By Eric Boehlert Salon.com,
March 22, 2003
