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On the Issues
Media Consolidation
I believe that excessive media consolidation threatens the fundamental values of localism, competition, and diversity of views that are essential to our democracy. Yet today, because of past loosening of media ownership rules, a small group of media conglomerates has come to control the majority of our country's broadcast and cable networks, radio stations, and newspapers, moving programming and editorial decisions out of our communities and into corporate boardrooms.
Since June 2003, when the FCC first attempted to loosen national media ownership rules, I have helped lead the fight in Congress to keep media outlets in the hands of local communities. In the 108th Congress, I cosponsored a resolution to overturn those new rules, and I coauthored an amendment to an annual funding bill for the FCC that would have blocked their implementation. On June 24, 2004, the U.S. District Court of Appeals in Philadelphia nullified most of the 2003 rule changes, sending the issue back to the FCC for reconsideration.
In June 2006, the FCC opened a new comprehensive review of national media ownership rules. Although the FCC pledged to improve the rulemaking process, I have been severely disappointed with its efforts. The Commission undertook ten media ownership studies that have been shown to be tainted by bias; the rulemaking timeline has been unnecessarily accelerated; and the FCC has failed to properly address the need for increased ownership opportunities for women and minorities.
Despite broad bipartisan opposition in Congress, the FCC decided in December 2007 to loosen the newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership rule by a 3-2 vote. The new rule allows a major daily newspaper in the 20 largest markets to own a single television or radio station, as long as that television station was not among the four highest-rated stations in the market and only if at least eight other independently-owned TV stations or “major” newspapers continued to operate after the transaction. In response cosponsored legislation which would reverse the FCC’s December 18 decision and provide greater public accountability for the Commission’s decision making.
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