Media deregulation(consolidation) will limit essential freedoms

[RedEarth]

Federal Communications Commission Chair Kevin Martin recently released a plan to drastically relax media ownership rules, which includes repealing a rule that forbids media cross-ownership in a single market.

Eliminating the cross-ownership ban means a single media conglomerate could own the newspapers, magazines, Internet news sites, television stations and radio stations in the same city.

As reported in the New York Times, “The deregulatory proposal is likely to put the agency once again at the center of a debate between the media companies, which view the restrictions as anachronistic, and civil rights, labor, religious and other groups that maintain the government has let media conglomerates grow too large.”

Indeed, moves toward media consolidation have provoked bipartisan public protest in the past. There was vigorous criticism from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers to a similar proposal to eliminate the cross-ownership ban in 2003 by then-chair Michael Powell. The FCC was flooded with three million calls against changing the rules. A federal court ruling eventually concluded that the commission had failed to adequately justify the new rules.

There is no question why Martin is rushing the rewrite proposal, squelching chances for public input or dissent regarding the radical rule change. His underhanded tactics include delaying the release of the proposed rule rewrites, holding last- minute hearings and proposing to expedite the rule rewrite and hold the final vote in mid-December.

Among the opposition to the proposal is Michael J. Copps, Democratic member of the FCC. Copps said Martin’s proposal to complete a relaxation of the rules in December would require procedural shortcuts, giving the public too little time to comment on the proposals and industry experts too little time to weigh their impact on news operations.

“We need to deal with some long-neglected issues before we tackle the media ownership rules,” said Democratic Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein. “We should first address the appalling lack of ownership of media outlets by women and people of color.
And we need to implement improvements in how outlets handle issues of concern to local communities.”

The new rules that could lift the cross-ownership ban are unwarranted. What are the benefits to media consumers? The FCC’s obligation is to the American people, ensuring the media remain a resource for all citizens. The rule-rewrite benefits big media owners, not the citizens the FCC is meant to serve.

The media are a public trust licensed by the federal government to operators who broadcast in the public interest.
Changes to media ownership rules should strive to increase media owner diversity, rather than make it easier for huge conglomerates to further their empires.

http://www.dailycardinal.com/frontend/article/print_version/1023

Kevin Martin - the chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) - has indicated that he wants to vote to loosen media ownership limits as soon as December 18.

Take action today! Here's what you can do:


Contact Congress. Congress has oversight power over the FCC. If the FCC won't listen to the public, then Congress must step in. Ask your Representative to hold full public hearings on the issue of media ownership right away - before Congress adjourns for the holiday recess.



Contact the FCC. Tell the FCC not to let Big Media get even bigger. The media ownership rules govern how we get news and information -- and that's especially important in an election year. Without diverse sources of information, we can't have a healthy debate about our nation's future, or a healthy democracy.

http://www.commoncause.org/site/pp.asp?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=192086