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On June 19th, we had our first big victory in the fight to overturn the FCC's decision to weaken media ownership rules when the Senate Commerce Committee approved a bi-partisan proposal that we support, S. 1046, that would reinstate the previous limit on how many TV stations a media giant can own. The committee also approved, with minor changes, an amendment reinstating the ban on cross-ownership between the dominant newspaper and television station in most markets.
This happened in part because of the public outcry over the FCC's decision and the large number of people contacting the FCC and their U.S. Senators.
I will keep you informed of where this legislation stands in the Senate, but for now the focus shifts to the U.S. House.
The powerful chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-LA), still supports the FCC decision. After the Senate committee vote, Bloomberg News reported that Rep. Tauzin had vowed to "kill" the Senate bill if it were sent over to the House. Despite over 146 sponsors for the House version of the Senate bill, HR 2052, Rep. Tauzin has blocked its consideration in his committee.
Please take a minute to ask your representative to support this legislation and urge Rep. Tauzin and Speaker Hastert to let the House vote on the important issue of who controls the public airwaves. Then, ask your family and friends to help by forwarding this e-mail to them.
To take action, click on this link or paste it into your web browser: http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=28&id4=OHFreep
The Supreme Court, in its most important ruling on broadcasting, once said that the "rights of the viewers and listeners are paramount." Three FCC commissioners - Chairman Michael Powell, Kevin Martin and Kathleen Abernathy - voted against the public interest on June 2 and for the financial interests of a handful of corporate media giants.
As you recall, on June 2, the FCC voted 3-2 to weaken the public interest rules that limit how many TV stations a media giant can own and prevent conglomerates from owning newspapers and TV stations in the same market, despite receiving more than one million citizen comments in opposition to these changes.
Unless their action is overturned, the FCC has handed over our publicly owned airwaves to huge media conglomerates without getting anything in return - no commitment for better news reporting, no commitment to cover local issues, no commitment to present unbiased information, no meaningful commitment for more children's programming, no commitment for anything in the public interest. If allowed to stand, these changes will have a negative effect on the variety of news, the amount of local news and culture, and the diversity of views presented to viewers and listeners.
Allowing a merger between a dominant newspaper and a large TV station in local communities across the country, as the FCC does, is likely to create news giants that stifle reporting of local or different points of view. Such a news and information giant is a frightening prospect for democracy. Public policy should err in favor of more competition, not less, so communities around the nation can enjoy a greater diversity of viewpoints so critical to democratic dialogue and debate.
On June 19, the Senate Commerce Committee approved a bi-partisan proposal that we support, S. 1046 sponsored by Sen. Stevens (R-AK) and Sen. Hollings (D-SC), to reinstate the 35 percent limit on the size of an audience the nation's largest broadcasters may control nationwide, reversing the FCC's change to 45%. The committee also approved, with minor changes, an amendment from Sen. Dorgan (D-ND) reinstating the ban on cross-ownership between the dominant newspaper and television station in most markets.
I will keep you informed of where this legislation stands in the Senate, but for now the focus shifts to the U.S. House where Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-LA), the powerful chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, still supports the FCC decision. After the Senate committee vote, Bloomberg News reported that Rep. Tauzin had vowed to "kill" the Senate bill if it were sent over to the House. Despite over 146 sponsors for the House version of the Senate bill, HR 2052, Rep. Tauzin has blocked its consideration in his committee.
Please take a minute to ask your representative to support this legislation and to urge Rep. Tauzin and Speaker Hastert to let the House vote on the important issue of who controls the public airwaves. Then, ask your family and friends to help by forwarding this e-mail to them.
To take action, click on this link or paste it into your web browser: http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=28&id4=OHFreep
This happened in part because of the public outcry over the FCC's decision and the large number of people contacting the FCC and their U.S. Senators.
I will keep you informed of where this legislation stands in the Senate, but for now the focus shifts to the U.S. House.
The powerful chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-LA), still supports the FCC decision. After the Senate committee vote, Bloomberg News reported that Rep. Tauzin had vowed to "kill" the Senate bill if it were sent over to the House. Despite over 146 sponsors for the House version of the Senate bill, HR 2052, Rep. Tauzin has blocked its consideration in his committee.
Please take a minute to ask your representative to support this legislation and urge Rep. Tauzin and Speaker Hastert to let the House vote on the important issue of who controls the public airwaves. Then, ask your family and friends to help by forwarding this e-mail to them.
To take action, click on this link or paste it into your web browser: http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=28&id4=OHFreep
The Supreme Court, in its most important ruling on broadcasting, once said that the "rights of the viewers and listeners are paramount." Three FCC commissioners - Chairman Michael Powell, Kevin Martin and Kathleen Abernathy - voted against the public interest on June 2 and for the financial interests of a handful of corporate media giants.
As you recall, on June 2, the FCC voted 3-2 to weaken the public interest rules that limit how many TV stations a media giant can own and prevent conglomerates from owning newspapers and TV stations in the same market, despite receiving more than one million citizen comments in opposition to these changes.
Unless their action is overturned, the FCC has handed over our publicly owned airwaves to huge media conglomerates without getting anything in return - no commitment for better news reporting, no commitment to cover local issues, no commitment to present unbiased information, no meaningful commitment for more children's programming, no commitment for anything in the public interest. If allowed to stand, these changes will have a negative effect on the variety of news, the amount of local news and culture, and the diversity of views presented to viewers and listeners.
Allowing a merger between a dominant newspaper and a large TV station in local communities across the country, as the FCC does, is likely to create news giants that stifle reporting of local or different points of view. Such a news and information giant is a frightening prospect for democracy. Public policy should err in favor of more competition, not less, so communities around the nation can enjoy a greater diversity of viewpoints so critical to democratic dialogue and debate.
On June 19, the Senate Commerce Committee approved a bi-partisan proposal that we support, S. 1046 sponsored by Sen. Stevens (R-AK) and Sen. Hollings (D-SC), to reinstate the 35 percent limit on the size of an audience the nation's largest broadcasters may control nationwide, reversing the FCC's change to 45%. The committee also approved, with minor changes, an amendment from Sen. Dorgan (D-ND) reinstating the ban on cross-ownership between the dominant newspaper and television station in most markets.
I will keep you informed of where this legislation stands in the Senate, but for now the focus shifts to the U.S. House where Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-LA), the powerful chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, still supports the FCC decision. After the Senate committee vote, Bloomberg News reported that Rep. Tauzin had vowed to "kill" the Senate bill if it were sent over to the House. Despite over 146 sponsors for the House version of the Senate bill, HR 2052, Rep. Tauzin has blocked its consideration in his committee.
Please take a minute to ask your representative to support this legislation and to urge Rep. Tauzin and Speaker Hastert to let the House vote on the important issue of who controls the public airwaves. Then, ask your family and friends to help by forwarding this e-mail to them.
To take action, click on this link or paste it into your web browser: http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=28&id4=OHFreep