On February 27, FMC’s Jenny Toomey participated on a panel
on localism at the FCC Field Hearing in Richmond, VA. Before we get
to a report from the hearing itself, let’s review what this was about.
The Federal Communications Commission is the agency charged with managing
the public spectrum, which includes radio, TV, satellites, cable,
wi-fi, and telephones – in other words, a LOT of stuff. In recent
years, Congress and the federal courts have required the FCC to review
their existing ownership policies, usually taking the position that
current regulations should be abolished because it’s believed they
artificially restrict the telecommunications/broadcast marketplace.
Critics of this position say ownership caps and other regulations
are necessary to preserve the core elements of the public spectrum:
competition, localism and diversity.
Decisions about the rules governing the use of the public spectrum
have, for many years, rolled through Congress and the FCC without
much public debate. Even with the diligent work of media justice organizations
and key academics, these crucial decisions about how the public spectrum
is used have been made with very little input from citizens themselves.
But the landscape is changing. Over the past year and a half, there’s
been an unprecedented amount of attention on media ownership issues;
the result of more scrutiny in the mainstream press, fantastic investigative
journalism from Salon’s Eric Boehlert, Los Angeles Times’
Chuck Philips, The Nation’s John Nichols and Robert McChesney
and others, and the insistence of key policymakers that the FCC must
not make these decisions hastily or without significant public comment.
What’s currently on the table at the FCC is a required review of existing
broadcast ownership rules. According to the FCC, this review has generated
one of the most exhaustive records in the agency’s history. The FCC
has received more than 15,000 comments in this proceeding, the majority
of which are from the general public. But Commissioner Copps, knowing
the long-term impact of these proposed rule changes to the entire
media landscape, thought that the process of submitting public comments
via the FCC’s website was not enough. That’s why he pressed the FCC
to hold field hearings, which would take the five commissioners out
of the Beltway and to communities where citizens could express their
opinions directly to policymakers.
FCC Chair Michael Powell agreed to attend not many, but one, public
hearing, and so on February 27 the five commissioners trudged down
to Richmond, VA for a field hearing. It was all-day affair, during
which representatives from various media corporations and consumer
groups sat on panels covering topics like "TV", "Newspapers"
and "Localism", delivering short statements and taking questions
from the commissioners. The FMC’s Jenny Toomey joined Frank Blethen
(Seattle Times), Thomas Herwitz (Fox Television Stations), Mark Mays
(Clear Channel), Deborah McDermott (Young Broadcasting), Chris Powell
(Journal Inquirer) and John Sturm (Newspaper Association of America)
for a panel focusing on "Localism". As we did in front of
the Senate Commerce Committee at the end of January, our testimony
emphasized the negative consequences that the 1996 Telecommunications
Act had on musicians and citizens.
"There is scant evidence that the basic regulatory principles
of competition, diversity and localism have been improved in any way,
shape or form by the radical restructuring of the industry that has
taken place over the past six years," Jenny said. "Rather,
we are very concerned that this restructuring has created significant
harm to this critical public resource. We see a dramatic loss of localism.
We see an industry that has lost one-third of its owners over the
past six years. We see virtually every local market under the control
of four companies or fewer. And we have yet to find a compelling argument
that radio listeners, professional broadcasters, local governments,
social service agencies or musicians benefit from these changes."
FMC’s press release about
the Richmond hearing
FMC’s testimony
submitted to the FCC at the Richmond hearing
A webcast
archive of the Richmond hearing
Time was set aside between panels for citizens to express their opinions
about media ownership from the floor. From the comments given by various
citizens – from media activists, to teachers, to labor union
members, to concerned parents – it was clear that media concentration
and further consolidation were issues that resonated loudly with them.
The vast majority of citizens urged the commissioners not to cast
off existing regulations, but to preserve rules that would protect
localism, diversity and competition. Citizens also registered a variety
of complaints about the current state of radio and TV, from general
homogeneity of the airwaves to the rise in vulgar language and offensive
content on TV and radio.
Here are a couple of press clips about the Richmond hearing, with
the story on Richmond.com being the most detailed we’ve found:
Not Enough: FCC public hearing allows only one hour for citizen
input
Jay-Anne Casuga
Richmond.com,
February 28, 2003
Critics speak out on media concentration
By David Ho/Associated Press
Salon.com,
February 27, 2003
Media Meltdown Obscures FCC Debate
…a new survey shows that 72 percent of Americans know "nothing
at all" about the debate in which FCC Commissioner Michael Copps
says "fundamental values and democratic virtues are at stake."
By John Nichols
The
Nation, February 27, 2003
And some more background about the turf battle royale going on between
the FCC and Congress. Eric Boehlert’s piece in Salon is particularly great:
Clear Channel’s big, stinking deregulation mess
The sorry state of the radio industry today is sabotaging FCC chairman
Michael Powell’s plans to let media conglomerates run wild.
By Eric Boehlert
Salon.com,
February 19, 2003
FCC Chiefs Clash Over Media Rules
As part of the Federal Communications Commission’s review of decades-old
media ownership restrictions, one of the agency’s Democratic commissioners
plans to seek more public input. The FCC’s Republican chairman, however,
thinks one public hearing is plenty.
Wired,
February 7, 2003
Clear Channel: Not the Bad Boys of Radio
Lowry Mays and sons made enemies building Clear Channel into an empire.
By Christine Y. Chen
FORTUNE,
February 18, 2003
Crunch Time at the FCC
by FCC Commissioner Michael Copps
The
Nation, February 3, 2003
Media Democracy’s Moment
by Robert W. McChesney & John Nichols
The
Nation, February 6, 2003