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Act Now to Stop Big Media Giveaway |
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Breaking News: The FCC today approved new rules removing one of the last standing limits to media concentration in local markets. Click here to urge your member of Congress to reverse this ruling.
You can act now to prevent the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from allowing media moguls like Rupert Murdock from swallowing up more local media across the country and reducing the diversity of news and programming.
Despite a groundswell of opposition from the public and bipartisan members of Congress, the FCC will vote today on a proposal by its chairman, Kevin Martin, on media ownership regulations. His proposal essentially would gut the nation’s few remaining media ownership regulations, putting an end to the limits on ownership by a single company of a newspaper and a broadcast station in the same market.
You can act now to stop this rush to give media barons more power. Click here to tell your member of Congress to keep the FCC from allowing more media consolidation.
Josh Silver, executive director of the media advocacy group, Free Press, says:
Martin is ignoring the public and defying the wishes of Congress. Martin is opposed by 99 percent of Americans—judging by comments filed at the FCC—who Big Media is already big enough.
The last time the FCC proposed a relaxation of the rules in 2003, public outcry killed the plan, says FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, one of two Democrats on the FCC. Copps says Martin hopes the public doesn’t notice what he and his big-media allies are up to.
Those aware of the proposal are strongly opposed to it, including many union members who have joined in actions to stop the Republican-led FCC from slipping through such a far-reaching rule change. Thousands of people have taken part in the handful of FCC hearings—held at the instigation of Copps and Jonathan Adelstein, the other Democratic FCC commissioner—in Seattle; Los Angeles; Nashville, Tenn.; Tampa, Fla.; Harrisburg, Pa.; and Chicago to protest the big media giveaway. (See video.)
Those denied the opportunity to voice their opposition directly to all five FCC commissioners in person are protesting online. More than 100,000 people have contacted Congress and the FCC via the StopBigMedia.com web site.
Last week, 26 senators from both sides of the aisle sent a strongly worded letter to Martin warning:
If you proceed to take final action on this rule on December 18 without having given a reasonable opportunity for comment on the actual rules and study the related issues, we will immediately move legislation that will revoke and nullify the proposed rule.
On Dec. 4, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation unanimously passed the bipartisan Media Ownership Act of 2007 (S. 2332)—a bill that would direct the FCC to conduct a separate proceeding on local ownership and create an independent minority and female ownership task force before moving forward with any changes to media ownership limits.
The bill, introduced by Sens. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) and Trent Lott (R-Miss.), also would ensure a 90-day period for the public to comment on any proposed rules.
In addition, more than 20 civil rights groups have called upon the FCC to first address the media diversity crisis before considering any new rules.
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