FCC schedules Seattle hearing on media-ownership rules

[RedEarth]

Source: Seattle Times

The Federal Communications Commission today announced it will hold a hearing in Seattle next Friday on proposals to ease long-standing limits on how many local media outlets a single company can own.

The one-week notice drew immediate fire from opponents of the proposals.

"Clearly, the rush is on to push media consolidation to a quick and ill-considered vote," FCC commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein, the two Democrats on the five-member commission, said in a prepared statement. "It shows there is a pre-ordained outcome."

Reclaim the Media, a Seattle advocacy group that opposes more media consolidation, agreed. "The rushed hearing is part of Martin's plan to fast-track changes to the rules by mid-December," it said on its Web site.

Martin, a Republican, has been pushing to wrap up the commission's long-running study of the proposed changes by the end of the year. While he has not proposed changes, he is expected to support allowing more media consolidation.



Read more: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003990712_webmediaownership.html

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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. But he's not saying exactly what the new rules would be.

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

[gateley]

1. K&R - thanks. nt

[Bitwit1234]

2. The know damn well their days are numbered and they want to

corrupt everything they can before their asses are kicked out for good.

[FREEWILL56]

3. I do have to agree with you about the fcc.

Even in bush's first term they started the practice of selling frequencies to the highest bidder. Seems ok huh except that the government doesn't own the radio spectrum and are there only to police it. They violated the Communications Act of 1934 almost immediately and this is one of many things these 2 bush administrations have royally screwed up, but who's going to notice with the severity of the other violations?

[Hugin]

4. Of crucial importance...

Yep, they're playing an end game before their exit.

[upi402]

5. done

i took action against the propaganda organ of the Reich Wing yet again.
Thanks for posting this!